I’ve never owned a gun, and neither have my parents.  Every now and then, I’ll fire off a few rounds, but that’s a pretty rare event.  The past few months I’ve been researching guns and will probably buy a .22 or 9mm pistol in the near future.  I believe I am responsible enough to learn how to handle and protect one appropriately, and I intend to also learn how to take the gun apart, clean it, and reassemble it.  My purposes for owning a gun would be self-defense, especially when hiking, and the philosophical belief that everyone should know how to use and care for a gun.  I also have the belief that if people like me did own and regularly carry guns at least in certain situations that the world as a whole would be a safer place to live.  I believe that we the people need to preserve the option to fight the government should that ever become necessary, and that requires weapons. (BTW, if you think that will never be needed, check this South Carolina law out).  I value this right.

This process has been very eye-opening.  First, I was surprised to discover the price difference between .22 ammo and 9mm ammo (9mm costs about 5-8x more per round), let alone the larger ammos that run 10x more than 9mm per round.  Since I’ve never shot a gun very much, I need a lot of practice firing a gun to make the bullet go where I want it to go consistently, which leads me toward the .22.  I suppose the fact that a 9mm round is about 3x heavier is a large part of the price difference, but it still seems like a huge difference.

Second, I was astounded to learn about the $200 Special Occupational Tax stamp for gun owners of pretty much anything above a basic clip-fed rifle or pistol.  It doesn’t even have to be fully-automatic to be stamp-worthy, and the caliber doesn’t matter, either.  The Kel-Tec PLR-22 is one such gun that I think makes no sense to be considered an “automatic weapon” under this law.  It’s only semi-automatic, and it’s only a .22.  On top of that, it’s only $250, so the stamp basically doubles the price.  Then again, maybe the guy shooting this video is why.  :)

I was also surprised to learn that if you want to own a silencer/suppressor for any weapon, it’s a $200 tax stamp for that, too.  That really doesn’t make sense to me, since I both value my hearing and do not particularly want to draw attention to myself firing a weapon, even out in the forest.  I really don’t see a reason to put this in the same category as machine guns.  A cheap suppressor worldwide is $50-100.  I would buy a suppressor with the pistol if it weren’t for this tax. There are so many advantages to using one.

So while I could spend $350 for a decent gun and suppressor, I would be forced to pay an additional $400 to the government for this privilege.  And this isn’t a take-over-the-world type gun setup… probably not even as good for doing real damage as a 15 roundd 9mm semi-auto (untaxed) pistol.

The Special Occupational Tax stamp is more than the up front $200 as well.  Here’s the full list:

  • $200 whenever any covered item changes hands.  If you sell the gun, that person has to buy the $200 stamp for each item also
  • If you lose the stamp or it is destroyed, that’s another $200 per item
  • It’s a 1-3 month process to apply for the stamp, including giving your fingerprints (which I suppose is already on file anyway) and an FBI background check
  • The local sheriff/magistrate can deny the stamp for any reason he chooses
  • You have to take a copy of the stamp(s) wherever the gun/suppressor goes
  • Law enforcement has the right to ask to see the stamp and gun/suppressor whenever they choose to make sure that you still own the gun/suppressor.  If you lose it, you should report it immediately, and I have no idea what that process would entail, though I expect it wouldn’t be fun.
  • If you move, you have to submit a change of address form for each stamp.

When I was considering these points, I wondered about just getting an AK-47 semi-auto rifle.  I knew they were made to be cheap to build, cheap to fire, put through abuse, and easy to care for.  You can find them for less than $400, though that does take work.  But after thinking about everything, I just don’t like the idea of making myself a target for bored law enforcement, spending the extra $200 and dealing with the ongoing process.  So I’m not going to go the PLR-22/AK-47 route, and I’m not going to buy a suppressor.

That bothers me.  That’s exactly why the National Firearms Act didn’t outlaw weapons but only taxed them, to discourage law-abiding citizens like me from owning whatever lawmakers didn’t deem “safe” for society.  And for me, it worked.

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