Lawmakers(?) look at "Sin Tax" on guns and ammo

[Dave70968]

Really?

I was unaware that guns and ammo were sales tax exempt in Oklahoma. I'll be sure to mention that to the sales clerk the next time I buy some.

Well...

It's a little more complicated than that. The Supreme Court held that a facially-neutral sales tax is permissible; a tax that applies unequally to protected rights, not so much. Minneapolis Star Tribune Company v. Commissioner, 460 U.S. 575 (1983):

Minneapolis Star Tribune Company v. Commissioner, 460 U.S. 575 (1983), was an opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States overturning a use tax on paper and ink in excess of $100,000 consumed in any calendar year.

On its face, this ruling finds that state tax systems cannot treat the press differently than any other business without significant and substantial justification. The state of Minnesota demonstrated no such justification to impose a special tax on a select few newspaper publishers. Therefore, this tax was in violation of the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of the press.

(Wikipedia)

I still think the Pittman-Robertson Excise Tax is ripe for a challenge under Minneapolis Star Tribune and Heller.