So they are getting creative, with Democrat Rep. Don Beyer planning to introduce a bill that won't ban AR-15, and most other semi-automatic rifles, at 1,000%.
So that new $1,200 rifle you want to buy? It would now cost an additional $12,000 in taxes.
The reason this proposal could have a better chance at passage is that they could potentially avoid the current 60-vote threshold that has prevented gun control from passing in previous years. Rep. Beyer is attempting to do that through reconciliation, a procedural tactic that can allow some budgetary bills to bypass that 60-vote threshold.
Democrats employed this tactic in 2921 to pass both the stimulus bill and Biden's Build Back Better bill, despite GOP resistance.
Speaking to Business Insider, Beyer makes clear that the tax is about restricting sales, and nothing more. He adds that the number is simply arbitrary, and that he is open to negotiate on the actual amount.
Beyer said: "There's nothing magical about that thousand percent number. It's severe enough to actually inhibit and restrict sales. But also successful enough that it's not seen as an absolute ban."
"What it's intended to do is provide another creative pathway to actually make some sensible gun control happen," Beyer added. "We think that a 1,000% fee on assault weapons is just the kind of restrictive measure that creates enough fiscal impact to qualify for reconciliation."
While it is unlikely to pass, it is the best chance Democrats have on any current proposal.
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