A new Cook County, Ill. tax took effect Monday that imposes a $25 charge on all firearm purchases.
The measure was part of the county’s 2013 $2 billion budget.
The revenue, estimated to raise $600,000 in 2013, will go toward the county’s massive health and hospital system, which has an annual budget of roughly $1 billion.
“This new policy will help us provide more resources to our vital public health system, which on a daily basis has to treat the victims of gun violence,” said county Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who held a press conference Monday touting the new tax. “Gunshot victims make up more than 30% of the patients our trauma center sees. I know this tax will not unilaterally solve the violence issue we face here in Chicago and other parts of Cook County, but it is without a doubt a necessary piece of the puzzle.”
A group of gun sellers have already challenged the new law in Circuit Court, saying it is a violation of the Second Amendment.
