Give gun owners a tax break for getting rid of their weapons

AP Photos Assault-style weapons are displayed for sale at Capitol City Arms Supply in Springfield. On June 25, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which established expanded background checks for the purchase of a firearm by someone under 21. The new law also provides funding for violence intervention programs, mental health resources and enhanced school safety measures. However, this much-lauded piece of legislation did not address the status of firearms — especially military-style assault weapons — already owned. A flaw. A month later, on July 29, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an assault weapons ban (H.R. 1808), that the Senate, on Aug. 1, immediately buried in its judiciary committee. It was declared “dead” in the Senate on Jan. 3, according to billtrack50.com . H.R. 1808 was also flawed, as it gave already-owned assault weapons “grandfather” status. On Jan. 10, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law an assault weapons ban that has already been challenged in court, with a judge issuing a temporary restraining order favoring the plaintiffs. More court challenges are sure to follow. To reduce gun violence in America, we need to reduce the number of guns in America. To accomplish that goal, we need to move beyond flawed legislation and contentious court decisions. We need, instead, to amend the federal tax code so that someone who legally owns a firearm — and especially an assault weapon — would be able to turn it in and receive a tax deduction on their next […]

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