- With gangland shootings becoming an every-day occurrence in Chicago, the Board of Commissioners in surrounding Cook County is trying anew to tackle the deadly problem -- with another tax.
But already, some are questioning whether the move is more about making a statement than addressing the violence.
Under the new law, Cook County is charging an additional $25 tax on every handgun sold inside county lines.
Gun shop owner Fred Lutger said this fee targets legal gun buyers, and not the gangsters responsible for many of Chicago's homicides.
Well, you know Preckwinkle wouldn't want to actually tax gangbangers. They don't have jobs, they don't have futures, and they have a lot of guns, so it wouldn't make sense to ask them to come up with money.
But Joe Schmo taxpayer? Get the money from him.
Of course, Econ 101 comes into play here - something Preckwinkle never studied:
- Opponents of the law, though, warn that the tax could backfire -- by driving buyers and even businesses out of Cook County.
Preckwinkle said she would be "astonished" if businesses actually left Cook over the tax.
But County Commissioner Tim Schneider said: "I think we're astonished many times when businesses leave the county, but they do."
Cook County has been down this road before. There is a tax on bottled water -- one of the highest sales taxes in the country. An increase in the cigarette tax fell dramatically short of projected revenue because tobacco store owners hoarded up the tax stamps before the increase went into effect.
Not to mention the thousand of people who just end up going over the border into Indiana or surrounding counties. Moron politicians.