In Record Numbers, Guns And Ammo Fly Off Shelves; Michigan expects record $17M in taxes from sales

[Purveyor]

The continued high-volume sale of guns and ammunition nationwide in the last year will lead to a big increase in funds for wildlife habitat and management across the country, including Michigan.

A federal tax collected on firearms and ammunition sales is redistributed to wildlife and hunting programs in each state, and only three -- Alaska, Texas and Pennsylvania -- get more money than the $17 million Michigan is expecting this year: $6 million more than last year's record.

With budget cuts and the coming merger of the state's departments of natural resources and environmental quality, the extra bucks will come in handy.

Besides funding hunter education and wildlife management, the tax is used to lease land from farmers to give hunters access and to operate the state's 128 game and wildlife areas.

The amount each state gets is based on its number of hunting licenses and land. Michigan has hordes of hunters and the most state-owned land east of the Mississippi.

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DETROIT FREE PRESS: http://www.freep.com/article/20091214/NEWS06/312140008/?imw=Y

[BOSSHOG]

1. Do we really need a well regulated militia anymore?

[Craftsman]

2. Yes.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

3. Not sure what theat has to do with anything here (n/t)

[Greyhound]

4. Yes, the National Guard is overseas fighting for the MIC. n/t

[slackmaster]

6. Yes, the militias are still needed to aid the public during emergencies

Fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. We have one - it's called the National Guard.

Do we need an unregulated militia anymore?

[slackmaster]

12. We have the unorganized militias

Both at the federal and state levels, and they're not unregulated.

[slackmaster]

5. Meanwhile in California...

New restrictions on sales of handgun ammunition that will take effect in February 2011 will cause millions of dollars annually to be spent buying it in other states, thus depriving the Golden State of badly needed sales tax revenue.

And they're talking about doing the same thing with large TV sets.

[depakid]

7. Which is why these policies need to be done national level

-unfortunately, the federal government (or at least anything outside of the purview of administrative agencies) is a crippled and dysfunctional as the state of California is on its budgetary matters.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. Well, that would cut down on people getting pissed off

and shooting their TV.

[slackmaster]

10. Smaller TVs would be harder to hit

That's for sure.

[Fumesucker]

14. Which would be a win for the ammo manufacturers..

Harder to hit means more ammo will be consumed..

[slackmaster]

16. And people who need more than 50 rounds per day will have to buy it in other states

Or reload their own.

[Fumesucker]

13. I'm pretty sure that's just plasma TV's..

You might as well put in a space heater as a plasma TV, those things use a lot of power and give off a lot of heat.

Nice picture but they're expensive to run.

[slackmaster]

15. Yes, of course that is true but people who really want them will still be able to acquire them

By buying them in other states.

[theophilus]

11. Jobs are being saved or created in the guns and ammo business. n/t