Higher taxes, fees for guns and hunters in Murphy's sights

Just over $9 million in new or higher taxes and fees related to guns would be imposed in New Jersey under plans included in Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget.Murphy called for a tax on gun sales as a candidate, and his first budget blueprint a year ago[1] included $1.4 million toward that end. It wasn’t approved by lawmakers but is now part of a larger package of planned changes. Firearms fees, most which haven’t been altered since 1966, would increase significantly by as much as 25-fold, yielding $3.912 million in revenue. A new excise tax on ammunition sales of 10 percent would generate $3.2 million. A new excise tax on firearms sales of 2.5 percent would generate $1.4 million. Hunters would pay $100 for a black bear permit, rather than $2. This is projected to produce $500,000 in additional revenue. “It was long past time that we did this last year, when we took so many steps to restore our standing as a national leader in gun safety. And it’s even more past time today,” Murphy said.“We’re not being terribly radical on this. Our current gun fees were set in 1966,” Murphy said. “It’s now 2019. It’s actually cheaper to get a permit to purchase a handgun, $2, than it is to get a dog license in many of our communities.”Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, didn’t dismiss the idea but didn’t sound receptive to it.“I think we’ve done a lot of gun reform in this state. We are the most progressive state in the nation when it comes to gun reform. And just to check a box to say you did something, I’m not sure that’s necessary,” Sweeney said. “And I don’t think it’s going to raise a lot of money. But I’m always open. This is the beginning of the budget discussion. You never

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