Chicago County Drops Plan To Tax Ammo, But Will Tax Guns

To defray the cost of people being able to defend themselves, or some such

The top executive of the county that includes Chicago on Wednesday dropped a proposed tax on bullets but kept a plan to tax firearms to help defray healthcare expenses associated with the high rate of gun violence.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle dropped a proposed tax of 5 cents a bullet because the tax in some cases would have been more than the ammunition price itself.

If approved by the board, the nation's third most populous county could be the first major U.S. metropolitan area to impose a tax as a form of gun control, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.