Day 2 of my Lenten fast begins. The thing on my mind this morning is impact fees. I saw on the news last night that Go Fund Me accounts have been set up for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Because medical care is not a basic right in this country, and I am sure many of the victims' parents were not responsible enough to have money set aside to bury their teenagers.
An estimate a few years back pegged the annual cost of gun violence in the US at $229 billion. That's direct costs for healthcare and funeral expenses, plus other costs such as incarcerating the perpetrators and lost wages for the victims.
How about an impact fee, on every gun, bullet, scope, and associated gear. I don't mean to boil this notional tragedy and embarrassment down to dollars and cents, but at a minimum it seems that people who choose not to play have to bear the cost of all the hobbyist, patriots, etc out there who want to be heavily armed.
And while we are at it, let’s make sure it covers the cost of metal detectors and armed security in every school. And the cost of training teachers and administrators to carry guns. And we also need to cover the cost of a national mental health program. Actually, I’d be happy to kick in for that one.
This is not an uncommon thing. Impact fees are often charged on new development projects and the cost of guns and ammunition are in some ways artificially underpriced because manufacturers and distributors are protected from the normal products liability exposures on other consumer goods. When you buy a can of Coke, or a hammer or a baseball bat, their is products liability insurance covering these items in cases anyone is harmed by them. Not the case with firearms, since there is no exposure.
On one hand, a financial approach feels less satisfying than more direct attacks on the problem of gun violence. On the other hand, tax evasion put Capone away.
Whatever it takes.
Amen.
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