Legislation introduced recently in the state Senate would add a tax of up to 5 cents per round on the sale of firearm ammunition in New York state.

S.8415 is sponsored by Sen. Andrew Gounardes, D-Brooklyn, and has been co-sponsored by Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, D-Bronx. Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, is sponsoring companion legislation in the state Assembly. The bill implement a tax between 2 and 5 cents per round of ammunition purchased. That money would then be directed into a Gun Violence Research Fund that is part of the state Health Department and the State University of New York.

“This bill creates an excise tax on ammunition with 100% of the revenue going towards gun violence prevention,” Gounardes wrote in his legislative justification. “The goal of the tax is not to disincentivize the purchase of ammunition, but to put some of that money back into the community. As such, the maximum tax is 5 cents per round of ammunition. The revenue collected will help fund the work needed to reduce and prevent gun violence in the state.”

Ammunition that contains a single projectile that measures .22 caliber or less will be taxed at 2 cents per projectile. All other ammunition will have a 5 cent per-projectile tax. In addition, the rates would be reviewed each year and adjusted.

During her State of the State address in January, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she wants to invest in state and local policing gun safety efforts, including tripling the amount of money for the State Police’s gun violence intelligence resources by adding a team of analysts who process gun tracing data to the New York State Intelligence Center.

Hochul also wants to double the number of Community Stabilization Units to 16, increasing the State Police’s ability to partner with local law enforcement to combat community-specific crime problems. To support local law enforcement, Governor Hochul will increase funding for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) program, of which Jamestown is a member, as well as increasing investments for New York’s Crime Analysis Centers, which collect and share criminal intelligence and data with local law enforcement. Finally, the state will establish Crime Gun Intelligence Centers in every region.

The governor also wants to create an Interstate Gun Tracing Consortium and triple spending in community-based gun violence response.

“Facing an increase in violent crime, there is a focus on preventing and reducing gun violence across the state,” Gounardes wrote in his legislative justification. “Governor Hochul, in her 2022 State of the State address, announced a three-part agenda to do just that. An important factor in achieving this goal is ensuring that there are funds available to support those individuals and organizations doing the work on the ground.”