The other bipartisan measure considered, the Law Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act (H.R. 3269), got a chillier reception. That bill would amend the Gun Control Act of 1968 by removing “less-than-lethal” equipment like TASER devices from the definition of a firearm — and consequentially, from the tax imposed under Code Sec. 4181.
The bill advanced out of Ways and Means 21-15 after a lively discussion on gun control. It is sponsored by Representative Greg Stanton (D-AZ) and has 66 co-sponsors, as well as a bipartisan Senate companion bill (S. 4255) — but it was fellow Arizonian David Schweikert (R) who advocated for the bill before the committee.
According to Schweikert, the bill aims to help us toward a “law enforcement where no one dies” by taking care of “a small … definitional quirk” that requires purchasers of TASERs and other non-lethal devices to pay an excise tax. Many of these purchases are government entities that then must “turn around and collect” the tax back as a refund, he noted.
