Three gun-rights groups are suing Seattle in an attempt to block a tax on gun and ammunition sales from taking effect.
The National Rifle Association, along with the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Second Amendment Foundation, filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court on Monday accusing the city of violating a state law that prohibits local municipalities from regulating firearms, representatives for the organizations said in a news release.
The Seattle City Council earlier this month voted unanimously to establish a tax on gun and ammunition sales and to require firearms owners to report lost and stolen guns to the police. The reporting requirement is scheduled to take effect next month and the tax on Jan. 1.
Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, compared the challenge to a previous lawsuit. Regulations that prohibited the carrying of firearms in Seattle parks_approved by the council in 2009 _ were struck down in court in 2012.
"Once again, anti-gun activists in Seattle have chosen to violate the Washington State Constitution and trample on the Second Amendment Rights of law-abiding citizens," Cox said in the release.
"They tried to enact similar regulations back in 2009 and lost. It's a shame to see such a waste of public resources on issues the courts have already ruled to be a clear violation of state law."
When Council President Tim Burgess proposed the new laws in July, he said the tax would hold up in court because the state statute barring municipalities from regulating firearms "does not appear to cover taxation."
City Attorney Pete Holmes said at the time he was prepared to defend the laws, citing "our taxing authority."
The tax of $25 per gun and 2 or 5 cents per round of ammunition has drawn praise from some groups, such as the Seattle-based Grandmothers Against Gun Violence.
Revenue from the tax will be set aside for gun-violence-prevention research and programs.
Some gun owners have predicted the tax will be passed on to them in the form of higher prices and complained that they'll be paying for crimes committed by people who obtain firearms illegally.
Some gun-sellers have said the tax will force them to move their businesses outside Seattle.
In addition to the three gun-rights groups, Monday's lawsuit also names as plaintiffs two Seattle stores that sell guns, Outdoor Emporium and Precise Shooter, as well as two men who have bought firearms and ammo in the city.
Besides the city, the lawsuit also names as defendants Mayor Ed Murray, the Seattle Department of Finance and Administrative Services and Glen Lee, that department's director.
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