Maryland Congressman Rankin: If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Tax ‘Em
Note: The following article comes to us from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
CONGRESSMAN DESPISES GUNS, LOVES GUN TAX DOLLARS
Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) sure loves some of that sin-tax money. That’s the kind of money when a Member of Congress wants to ban things but can’t. So they go to their second favorite activity. They tax it.
U.S. Rep. Raskin likes his gun policies both ways. If he can’t restrict Americans’ ability to lawfully purchase a firearm, he’ll gladly accept the tax dollars paid on them by Americans while at the same time trying to price them out of their Second Amendment rights.
Fee for Thee
Rep. Raskin isn’t deterred by gun control bills already passed by the House of Representatives. He introduced tax increase legislation as an end-run gun control effort instead. It’s nearly the next best thing for a gun control politician.
The National Firearms Act Modernization Act, H.R. 2427, would increase the tax paid on certain items already strictly-regulated under the National Firearms Act. Currently, Americans must complete additional extensive background checks and fingerprinting, submit photos and pay a $200 tax to purchase certain types of firearms, including short-barreled rifles or shotguns and even suppressors. Under Rep. Raskin’s bill, the tax would increase to $300. There are currently approximately 2 million registered firearm suppressors today and they are a health benefit when used for hunting and recreational shooting by protecting hunters’ hearing. They are legal to own and possess in 42 states and 40 states allow them for hunting.
But if Rep. Raskin can further infringe the Second Amendment rights of Americans while also raising taxes, he’ll go for it. “I’m proud to introduce the SAFER Act and the NFA Modernization Act today and will continue pushing for commonsense gun safety legislation so we can prevent gun violence and save lives. I applaud President Biden and Vice President Harris for announcing strong executive action to address the gun violence public health epidemic,” Rep. Raskin said in a statement.
President Joe Biden announced executive actions on gun control, including regulating so-called “ghost guns,” tightening restrictions on pistol-stabilizing arm braces, calling for expanding background checks on private firearm transfers, closing the falsely-termed “gun show loophole” banning modern sporting rifles. He capped it with his nomination of former gun control lobbyist and advocate David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Rep. Raskin is all in on all of those efforts. Of course, none of these would punish criminals for misusing firearms, nor prevent the recent tragedies of murder.
Americans Buying Guns, Not Gun Control
There is a reason gun control efforts stalled in Congress and why Rep. Raskin’s bill faces a steep uphill battle. More than 21 million background checks were processed for the sale of a firearm in 2020. The first quarter of 2021 hit a record-high mark as well, continuing the blistering sales pace. Included in those numbers are more than 8.4 million first-time buyers, jumping off the fence to take their own self-defense into their hands. African-American gun ownership increased 58 percent over the previous year. Asian-Americans purchased 43 percent more firearms than they did in 2019. Hispanic-Americans did so by 49 percent more.
More Americans own guns and they’re coming from all walks of life.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) understands this change. So too does Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). He even challenged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to put a so-called “assault weapons ban” on the Senate floor for a vote. “If you really want to ban assault weapons, bring up the bill, and let’s have the debate. The reason Senator Schumer won’t bring up the so-called Assault Weapons Ban, which is a misnomer, is because it won’t pass. It won’t get 50 votes, much less 60,” Sen. Graham taunted.
The demographics of voters who lawfully own firearms has changed dramatically and taking their rights away and adding a fee to exercise a right, isn’t selling. Rep. Raskin isn’t talking about holding criminals accountable or hitting them with prison time. He’s tossing around the idea to tax a right, because if he can’t ban it outright, he’s certainly not going to miss the opportunity to make money off of it.
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Plain-English references worth bookmarking — NFA rules, carry law, and the gear terms behind every review.
| 2026 at a glance | |
|---|---|
| NFA tax stamp | $0 |
| Permitless carry | 29 states |
| Suppressors legal | 42 states |
50+ NFA, carry and gun-law terms in plain English, updated for 2026.
Open the glossary → Network| Term | Category |
|---|---|
| Striker-fired | Action |
| MOA | Optics |
| Twist rate | Ballistics |
30 gun, ammo and optics terms, from Guns & Gadgets Daily.
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Just a few opinions passed down by SCOTUS over the years that this politician should be made aware of (yes, each is still good case law).
——–‐—
“All laws which are repugnant to the Constitution are null and void.”
Marbury v. Madison, 5 US (2 Cranch) 137, 174, 176 (1803)
re•pug•nant. rĭ-pŭg′nənt►
adj. Arousing disgust or aversion; offensive or repulsive.
adj. Contradictory; inconsistent.
Opposing; resisting; refractory; disposed to oppose or antagonize
——–‐—
“No state shall convert a liberty into a license and charge a fee therefore.”
Murdock v. Pennsylvania, 319 US 105 (1943)
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“If the state converts a right (liberty) into a privilege, the citizen can ignore the license and fee and engage in the right (liberty) with impunity.”
Shuttleworth v. City of Birmingham, Alabama, 394 US 147 (1969)
It seems as though Jamie Raskin the unkempt congressman who is completely nuts is the reason we have the 2nd amendment. Most people I know believe in live and let live. Democrats on the other hand believe that they belong in your business. They don’t. These people are sick and really need to be residents of an insane asylum. So Jamie Raskin keep for dirty paws off my guns and ammo. It is not your place to subvert a constitutional amendment!!!!!!
let him try, I would love to see him duck walked out of Congress for violations of a 9-0 decision by the US Supreme Court
Cite as: 577 U. S. ____ (2016) 1
Per Curiam
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
JAIME CAETANO v. MASSACHUSETTS
ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME
JUDICIAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS
No. 14–10078. Decided March 21, 2016
which says ALL weapons are protected by the 2nd Amendment including add ons as well as ammo if it effects the operation of the weapon.
so what!! we will make are own guns
You might make a ghost gun lower for a pistol or rifle but the upper part must be sent to your gun store and a background check done. 3D printed guns are made of plastic and won’t handle the minimum 20,000 PSI when the powder goes off.
There have been countless firearms built from nothing but hardware store parts. Barrels can be rifled fairly simply at home using ECM or can be button rifled with fairly standard inexpensive tooling. A mini mill can be had for around $800. A “ghost gunner” CNC can be had for around $2,000. Generally speaking, these firearms are going to be fairly crude next to their commercial counterparts, but it illustrates the futility of firearms bans if you can’t eliminate the knowledge of how they work.
The Democrat/socialist/communist party party is trying to take over the country! They are wanting to bring in all the illegals they can and make it so they can vote for them! They are trying to make it easy for fraudulent voting! They are try to do everything that third world countries have done for a party/dictators have done to take control of America!
The gun banning politicians are trying to come up with the most bizarre and stupid ideas to restrict and ban firearms.
Raising taxes on restricted firearms? Why? None of these have been used in crime. Why do they go after the law abiding gun owners? Is it because their masters- the Chinese government, the U.N., Russia tell them to?
The only reason why suppressors were added to the 1934 firearms act is because some joker with the fish and game department had a senator for a friend and told him to add suppressors to the bill as that would stop all poaching. One has to remember that this was in the depression and people were starving, so they poached to get food on the table for their families and this made the fish and game people angry. So by adding suppressors to the bill, did that stop all poaching? Of course not. One still reads of out of season poaching rings operating.
Suppressors should be available for any firearms owner to purchase over the counter. In Europe with all their heavy firearm restrictions, one can purchase a suppressors over the counter. Many countries required them for hunting and target shooting. The gun banning politicians have been watching too many episodes of TV shows like “Miami Vice”!
And what’s the deal with background checks anyways? This means you are “guilty” until proven innocent. Many are turned down because they are getting a divorce, got too many speeding tickets, late in paying federal income taxes, belong to the wrong political party, have held Rally’s, and so on.
Now the gun banning politicians want sticker background checks. They want opinions from ex girlfriend, ex wife, neighbors (especially the ones who throw beer parties, ex employers, etc. Do they think this will stop gang warfare in Chicago?
The Border Patrol has no more room for all the illegals coming up from Central America so they are putting them on busses and shipping them off to major cities. A lot of these illegals are gang members, or working for the cartels, or are dealing in prostitutes. So the politicians blame law abiding American gun owners for the increase in crime!
That is an infringement on the 2 A. It is an obvious attach to tag on an extra tax for a gun. Kick the traitor out.
I agree
The democratic socialist-communist party seeks to destroy America, we must stop this take-over
I agree