“Violence Tax” on gun sales in Cook County, IL

On Friday, Cook County commissioners approved a $25 tax (called the “violence tax”) on every gun purchased in the county to offset health care and other costs of gun violence. Board President, Toni Preckwinkle said, “The average shooting victim costs taxpayers $52,000 in acute care because nearly 70 percent of the victims don’t have health insurance.”

This should give us all pause because when a government considers the cost of your health care it’s responsibility, it has an even greater incentive to implement all kinds of restrictions and taxes aimed at lowering it’s expenses increasing revenue respectively.

When healthcare becomes another line item in the federal budget, you better believe they’ll be telling you how to live. All they’ll have to do is tell group A that Group B is costing them $X.XX per year because they, eat poorly, don’t exercise, eat salt, enjoy sugar, etc… Instantly you’ll have one group, falling over themselves to get on board with all kinds of tyrannical government run/funded “solutions.”

“We shouldn’t have to pay more for someone else’s poor lifestyle choices” will be their mantra. Owning a gun will be considered a liability and society will beg government to limit gun sales and confiscate guns.

If society is paying for your medical care, it’s going to want to limit your exposure to every danger. In such a situation, I’m sure government will be all to willing to step in and curb your behavior with laws, taxes, fines or worse.