Gun bill H.R. 5717 moving through House
Gun bill H.R. 5717 moving through House
While COVID-19 fills the news, what else is the House of Representative doing?
One bill to be voted on is H.R. 5717, which will add a federal 30% tax on all guns and a 50% tax on all ammo and will require a federal license on top of the state license to purchase both. A gun owner would now need a federal license to own, handle or shoot any guns he or she already owns.
I called and wrote an email to both of Hawai‘i’s U.S. Representatives, Rep. Ed Case (CD1) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (CD2). There was no one to answer Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s phone, only a recording, and she has not responded. Rep. Ed Case’s secretary said my phone call was the fourth call she received that day, and Rep. Case responded to my email. This was his response:
“Mahalo for contacting me with your opposition to H.R. 5717, the Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020. This bill would mandate a federal license for the purchase of any firearms, ban certain semi-automatic (assault-style) weapons, and prohibit certain silencers and mufflers, among other things. The House has referred this bill to our Judiciary Committee. I am firmly committed to gun-violence-prevention legislation that respects the Second Amendment rights of Americans and keeps guns away from those who seek to do harm with them. I will keep your views in mind as the Congress considers H.R. 5717 and works to secure both the safety of our communities and the constitutional rights of all Americans.”
Steve Yoder, Kapa‘a
