The Washington State Supreme Court ruled Thursday, that the City of Seattle has the legal authority to enact a $25 per firearm tax on retailers to address the costs of gun violence. The ruling, an 8-1 decision by the court, upheld a trial court finding in December 2015.
The ordinance is not pre-empted by a state law that deals specifically with the regulation of guns, as the City ordinance levies a tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition.
“I’m grateful our Supreme Court recognized the challenges the state’s largest city faces in protecting its residents from gun violence and the need to identify sufficient revenue sources to fund its core missions,” said Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes.
“We are very gratified by the Supreme Court’s clear decision in favor of the City of Seattle,” said William Abrams of Steptoe & Johnson, who argued the case pro bono for the City. “The Court affirmed the City’s right to raise revenue, despite the NRA’s attempt to block the City’s tax on gun sales. This is an important victory for the citizens of Seattle, and against the NRA’s attack on a city ordinance that the Supreme Court held, in no uncertain terms, is valid.”
