The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia
Friday, 08 July 2022 13:36

HuffPost: More than 50 House Republicans want to repeal a century-old excise tax that bankrolls wildlife conservation

In the latest “gun rights” lash-out from the GOP, legislation has been filed to abolish firearms taxes levied on gunmakers that fund wildlife conservation.

The Republican legislation is framed as a way to defend gun purchasers from odious taxation under the 2nd Amendment umbrella, but leading hunting and fishing interests said the proposal is misguided and misses the target by a wide mark. 

The levy as currently written applies to gunmakers, not individual firearms purchasers. 

The GOP target is the Pittman-Robertson Act, which “helped confront decades of overhunting and habitat loss by creating a financial link between hunting and conservation,” according to HuffPost.

“This year, the Interior Department will distribute a record $1.5 billion to state wildlife agencies through the Pittman-Robertson Act and its fisheries equivalent, the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act. To date, the programs have divvied up a combined $25.5 billion for conservation and outdoor recreation projects,” according to reporting from HuffPo reporter Chris D’Angelo.

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