In the Hill Newspaper: “Democratic Double Standard on Guns hurts the poor”
Written by
The Hill Published: 08 May 2017
In the Hill Newspaper: “Democratic Double Standard on Guns hurts the poor”
Dr. John Lott has started as a contributor for The Hill newspaper, which is read by members of Congress and their staff, though it has a somewhat broader audience. Lott’s first piece is on the Democrats consistently pushing fees and taxes that make it difficult for poor people, particularly minorities, to buy guns for protection. His first piece starts out this way:
When it comes to voting, Democrats see free ID cards as too burdensome on the poor.
But there’s no hesitation to impose fees, expensive training requirements, ID requirements, and onerous background checks on prospective gun owners.
Recently, the Texas legislature passed a bill reducing the fee for a five-year concealed handgun permit to $40.
The current fee of $140 is one of the highest in the country. The bill has come up twice in the state House, and only 32 percent of Democrats voted both times to lower the fee.
No Republican opposed the fee cut. If the legislation was up to just Democrats, the bill wouldn’t have come close to passing.
The Connecticut state government already charges $70 in initial fees for concealed handgun permits. Now Governor Dannel Malloy is fighting to raise that to $300.
With local fees, fingerprinting, and training costs, the total cost of getting a permit will be over $500. PIus, a $300 renewal fee will be required every five years.
In 2013, all but two Democrats in the Colorado House of Representatives voted against a Republican amendment to exempt impoverished individuals from a new tax on private transfers of guns.
Since Democrats are normally eager to support exemptions for lower-income people, this appears to be a case of not trusting poor people with guns.
After the Supreme Court struck down Washington, DC’s handgun ban in 2008, the city quickly imposed the onerous licensing and registration fees in the country.
The total costs come to an incredible $834.
In DC, it costs $175 for a background check to privately transfer a gun. The result is that only the affluent can defend themselves. Democrats must surely realize this.
But the problem isn’t just high fees. Eight heavily Democratic states and DC only offer concealed handgun permits on a “May-Issue” basis, requiring demonstration of need to a local public official. . . .