Gun rumors

November 2, 2009 - 6:18pm

TYLER-Rumors have been floating around East Texas. Rumors that say the next time you pay your income taxes, you'll also pay taxes on your guns.

Anger for many East Texans after getting an e-mail about so-called Senate Bill 2099. This bill, if ever passed would reportedly require you to report all guns you own on your income tax. It would also make you pay $50 per gun.

Some say this is just another way for the feds to get control.

"It makes me feel like we're losing our rights as citizens," gun owner Barbie George said. "That's what our constitution is based on, our right to bear arms and its taking that away."

So we decided to check it out. We started with the NRA.

And like many rumors, there's just a grain of truth to this one. NRA officials said someone is recycling an old alert, which they said wasn't even right when it was new. They also told us there actually was a U.S. Senate Bill in 2000.

We even checked in with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) who also told us there is no such legislation by this name in the 111th Congress.

Though S.B. 2099 doesn't exist, there is a bill right now in the house that gun advocates are keeping an eye on.

U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-ILL) recently sponsored H.R. 45, also known as Blair Holt's Firearm licensing and Record of Sale Act."

It's similar to the bill that went nowhere. And if that ever comes close to being a law, you can bet that'll be enough to get East Texans to come out with their metaphorical guns blazing.

For more information on H.R. 45 go to http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-45

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The full law is that the right to bear arms remains unabridged because a well regulated, armed militia is our nations best first line of defense. In the 21st century, how relevant to first line of defense are most gun owners? No regulated militia exists and those with families would more likely defend their own than answer the call to leave their families and defend our borders. There are many great men and women out there who would but the majority I fear would not despite their personal right to bear arms under this law.