Tax Imposed On Our Second Amendment Rights

I had another subject planned for this week, however I just received this information from the National Rifle Association that is quite urgent. A tax is being proposed on our Second Amendment rights in the state of Florida. Bear in mind, that although we may not live in Florida, it is vitally important that we all e-mail their Governor and ask him to veto the Second Amendment Tax. 

Here is what the NRA says:

• When government takes money from citizens for general use by government, it’s a TAX.
• When government confiscates user fees from trust funds intended to be used to administer specific programs and converts it to government use for other purposes, it’s a TAX.
• When government leaders claim to oppose tax increases and promise not to create new taxes, but then raid trust funds, they have deceived you because they have created a new TAX.

In a last minute sneak attack on gun owners, the Florida Legislature raided the concealed weapons and firearms licensing trust fund and created a TAX on the exercise of the Second Amendment.  They took $6 million from the Division of Licensing Concealed Weapons and Firearm Trust Fund that is intended, by law, to be used solely for administering the concealed weapons and firearms licensing program.  That is a defacto TAX on gun owners.

Because legislative budget officials have refused to allow the Division of Licensing to use their own trust fund money to hire necessary staff and upgrade equipment, the Concealed Weapons and Firearms Licensing program is in a dire crisis. It is a crisis created by the legislature and anti-gun budget staffers. They refused to allow gun owners’ money to be used to administer the gun owner program, as required by law, then confiscated gun owners’ money for their own political purpose. They created a Second Amendment TAX.

Right now, the concealed weapons and firearms licensing program is backlogged and overloaded, due in part to the refusal of budget officials and the legislature to allow the Division of Licensing to use its own trust fund money to hire more employees and expand/upgrade equipment.

Crates of unopened mail containing license and license renewal applications sit in storage. The backlog of mail sitting unopened, at times, has extended beyond 90 days while existing licenses are expiring because renewal applications haven’t been opened and processed. Although the Division of Licensing has been working weekend shifts to clear the backlog, it is taking 13 to 14 weeks to process a “perfect” application once it has been opened. That is an unequivocal violation of the law that requires issuance or denial by a certain time. This is a violation of law that legislative leaders are condoning by their actions.

The law requires the division of licensing to issue a license within 90 days of receipt of the application, or deny the license “for cause” based upon the criteria set forth in the law. Theft of operating funds by the legislature is not “just cause” for failure to issue licenses or renewals within 90 days. Theft of those operating funds is a TAX on the exercise of the Second Amendment.

While applications sit gathering dust, legislative leaders took $6 million of approximately $8 million held in the trust fund. That $6 million is suppose to be used to pay employees, buy upgraded equipment, upgrade or replace computers or software and to otherwise administer the concealed weapons and firearms licensing program.

But, feigning a desperate need for funds for education and health care, legislative leaders recklessly and ruthlessly confiscated gun owners’ trust fund money. Why? Because they were building a so-called “working capital” fund for the 2010-12 legislative term, reported now to be in the neighborhood of $1.8 billion dollars. This so-called “working capital fund” is for the use of future legislative leaders. That makes it a TAX on the exercise of the Second Amendment.

While the Senate leadership reportedly fought to stop the ruthless raids on trust funds, in the end they simply caved in and helped the House of Representatives create a Second Amendment TAX. The bad behavior doesn’t end there.
Obviously fearing that Florida Governor, Charlie Crist, would use his line-item veto to stop the Second Amendment TAX, proviso language was inserted into the bill in a clear attempt to intimidate the Governor. The proviso language says that if any portion of the moneys swept from this and other trust funds does not become law (meaning it is vetoed), that portion of the money shall be deducted from the Education Budget. This is clearly designed to keep the Governor from Vetoing the Second Amendment TAX, and prevent trust fund money from being taken back out of the House leadership’s so-called “working capitol” fund.

Money in the concealed weapons trust fund came from gun owners. No money to administer and run the concealed weapons and firearms licensing program has ever come from the general revenue, or any other state fund or revenue source. The taking of these gun owner user fees is a de facto TAX on the exercise of the Second Amendment.

This scenario could happen in any state in America. Florida gun owners need our help and now. The NRA is asking that we all contact Governor Charlie Crist immediately and ask him to veto the Second Amendment Tax created by the confiscation of $6 million from the Division of Licensing Trust Fund. You can phone, fax or e-mail him as follows:

Phone Number: (850) 488-4441 or (850) 488-7146
Fax Number: (850) 487-0801
E-mail: Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com

Bob Harris can be reached via e-mail at: outwriter2@aol.com

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DISCLAIMER:  The opinions expressed by Mr. Harris are not necessarily those of the Goffstown Residents Association or its members

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