---
title: Seattle Tried a Gun Tax. It Didn’t Work
description: Lawmakers in Seattle expected the city’s new tax on firearms to generate revenue to support gun violence research. But that wasn’t the case.
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published: '2017-03-23T14:49:02.000Z'
modified: '2024-05-08T04:26:22.000Z'
section: Economy and Politics
tags:
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  - Seattle
  - Taxes
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![Blue Ridge Arsenal Gun Store](https://img.money.com/2017/02/gunstaxfree-em-504210982.jpg)

Lawmakers in Seattle expected the city’s relatively new tax on firearms and ammunition to generate enough revenue to support [gun violence](https://money.com/dallas-shootings-workplace-race-guns/) research. But that wasn’t the case.

More than a year after the tax on firearms and ammunition went into effect on Jan. 1, 2016, a city council member [told the Seattle *Times*](http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattles-gun-sale-tax-raised-under-200000-in-first-year/) the tax raised less than $200,000 for the city. It was expected to raise $300,000 to $500,000. The revenue from the tax will be used to help fund gun violence research at Harborview Medical Center at the University of Washington, the *Times* reports.

The city receives a $25 tax on every gun sold in Seattle.

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