Cook County’s Special $25 Gun Tax Starts April 1

A new $25 tax on every gun purchase in suburban Cook County took effect Monday as part of the larger 2013 county budget approved by county commissioners and County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, various media outlets reported. 

The new gun tax is expected to bring in around $600,000 in revenues this year and is aimed at curbing taxpayer expenses tied to gun violence, which Preckwinkle says crowds jails and drives up health care costs, NBC Chicago reported. 

Patch wants to know do you think the new tax will help curb taxpayer expenses tied to gun violence? Tell us in the comment section. 

Preckwinkle's chief of staff, Kurt Summers says told the Sun-Times that the average health care cost to treat a gunshot victim is $52,000. He added that 70 percent gunshot victims do not have health insurance. 

In March, a group of Chicago area firearms dealers and owners sued over the tax saying it violates their constitutional rights, Chicago Sun-Times reported. 

Preckwinkle plans to review a proposal for a 5-cent bullet tax that was previously dropped, which she says could raise an additional $400,000 in revenues, NBC Chicago reported. 

When Patch asked readers Should Gun Buyers Face ‘Violence Tax’? More than 70 percent of respondents said no, law-abiding gun owners should not be punished for the actions of criminals.