A Gun Tax

Format:I. IntroductionII. The Gun Control ControversyIII. The "Gun Tax"IV. SourcesI. IntroductionGun control has been the center of debate for decades, with democrats believing that, for the safety of the people, less people should have access to guns, and republicans opposing any gun control legislation, arguing that it violates the Second Amendment's right to bear arms. The recent Las Vegas shooting, leaving 59 concert-goers dead and 500 injured, was considered the most deadly shooting in United States history, prompting new calls for gun control.Throughout the course of the debate, I will argue that treating guns like a public health issue, and putting taxes on guns would reduce future shooting deaths in America.II. The Gun Control Controversy To better understand how to tackle this problem, we must first understand the controversy surrounding gun control. Gun control has been a widely debated topic - with Democrats advocating for gun control for people's protection, and Republicans vehemently defending people's right to the Second Amendment and for less government intervention. With that being said, trying to create a bypartisant bill which reconciles Democrat and Republican views on gun control is extremely difficult. The only gun control bill which managed to get both Democrat and Republican support was the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB), which banned civilian use of assault weapons. It passed in 1994, and lasted ten years. However, it died in 2004, with no strong attempts to reinstate it in the years following [1]. Yet, despite the possibility of creating new legislation for gun control may seem bleak, the tragic Las Vegas massacre has renewed calls for gun control.III. The "Gun Tax"As I have previously established, Democrats and Republicans have contrasting views on how to handle gun control, and the chances of creating a compromise for both sides is very difficult. However both parties agree that, after the calamitous Las Vegas shooting, something has to change.With Republicans standing for people's right to bear arms, and Democrats demanding for the disarment of civilians, I propose traeating the issue like a public health crisis, and the taxing of guns. According to three Harvard University public-health researchers, M.D. Dariush Mozaffarian, Dr. David Hemenway, and M. D. Ph. D. David S. Ludwig, treating gun violence like a public health issue, and taxing guns would effectively decrease gun violence by making them harder to afford. Additionally, they strongly believe that a gun tax would bring together both parties and "be an easier sell to Congress."But why would a tax on guns, of all things, work? Researcher Gabrielle Karol argues that "Taxing a behavior or item to account for its negative externalities can serve multiple purposes. In the case of tobacco, every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes due to increased taxation actually reduced the overall number of smokers by 3 percent to 5 percent," [2]. Furthermore, the tax on tobacco has been recognized as one of the most effective strategies for decreasing smoking, and preventing its adverse health consequences. There is a general concensus that every 10% increase in the price of cigarettes reduces adult smoking by around 2%, young adult smoking by 3.5%, and children by 6-7%, ultimately reducing overall cigarette use by 3-5% [3]. If America has managed to reduce the consumption and health risks associated with smoking through taxes, why can we not do the same with guns?IV. Sources[1] https://en.wikipedia.org...;[2] http://www.thefiscaltimes.com...[3] https://dev-craft.tobaccofreekids.org...