A new bill introduced by Congressman Andrew Clyde, R-Ga, would eliminate the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition purchases in the United States.
"I believe that if you can tax a constitutional right, then it is not truly a constitutional right," Clyde told WDUN's Newsroom.
Right now, the federal government applies an excise tax at the manufacturer level for every firearm and all ammunition sold in the United States. For handguns, the tax is 10%, and for long guns and ammunition, it is 11%.
Firearms and ammunition purchased by the Department of Defense or state and local law enforcement are exempt from the additional tax.
Currently, the money generated from the tax goes toward hunter education and environmental causes. Under Mr. Clyde's bill, the funding for those items would come from unallocated lease revenue generated by energy development on federal lands.
Clyde knows the bill is unlikely to pass while Democrats control the House, but he hopes the midterms will lead to some changes.
"I think it's important to lay down a marker, that this is where we stand and what we stand for, that we're going to defend the Constitution of the United States," he said.
Clyde, an armory owner, and the entire Georgia Republican Congressional Delegation voted "no" on the recent gun safety legislation which President Biden signed on Saturday.
You can read more about the legislation here.
