General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: TAX THE AMMO!!! [View all]badtoworse
(5,957 posts)The power to tax is also the power to restrict or to destroy. If you study the Bill of Rights, you will see that it is not a document granting certain rights to the citizens; it is a listing of things the government does not have the power to do. One of those things is to infringe on the people's right to keep and bear arms. The OP's idea is to use the power to tax to accomplish just that and for that reason, it would be struck down. Your idea is no different except for the amount of the tax.
I don't have a problem reimbursing the cost of processing a permit application. I would have a big problem with an annual tax being applied on civil rights as a means of raising revenue or discouraging the exercise of those rights. If it's OK to tax one civil right, why not tax all of them? We could use the revenue, so how about a tax on going to church or having to pay a fee to get your Miranda rights?
You don't have a constitutional right to fish in the state's waters; it's a privilege. The state is perfectly within its powers to charge you a fee for a fishing license. From a legal standpoint, rights and privileges are very different.