Now, just how would the seller ascertain that the .223 ammunition that he was selling was going into a bolt-action rifle, or a non-folding stock Mini-14 rifle? What about .308? If the .45 ACP ammunition was to be used in a Marlin Camp.45, would the tax not be collected? How about 9mm in a High Point Carbine? Cowboy Action shooters use pistol caliber rifles, are they exempt, as well? What about .22 Short, Long, Long Rifle, or WMR? .17 HM2 or .17 HMR?
You'll note that the tax collected, after the amount necessary to run the database, all goes into the General PorkBarrel Fund. It would seem more equitable if the counties were given the money generated by stores in those counties. Also, the excess profits should be used for something besides pork. This will force the politicians to make unpalatable choices.
Fight it as bad government. The fired shell casing law has cost millions to implement, for zero return, and eats up millions every year. This would result in a huge beauracracy that would spend monies for yet another boondoggle. Are there going to be two types of ammunition sold? One encoded, and one not? Is the State of Maryland going to be required to buy, at current values, ammunition that's not encoded from it's citizens? Why should the citizenry have to lose money disposing of ammunition stocks? What is the purpose supposed to be for this legislation? Are there going to be repercussions included in the law for agencies that are exempted to be held accountable for loss or theft of unsecured ammunition? Criminal penalties? After all, the papers are full of LEOs who lose car-loads of ammo and weapons. How would the law work if such thefts were allowed to go unpunished? It will only take a couple of politicians willing to tack on such verbage to show this for the dishonest actions of the few.
Maryland already loses millions of dollars in tax revenues through it's shell-casing law, and it's Handgun Review Boards restrictions in Trade. This new law would create an entirely new class of criminal. There will be many who simply don't hear about it, or don't understand it well enough to comply. Dad's old rifle, and the boxes of ammunition he had with it, has been sitting in the attic since he died in the 1970s. Mom's probably forgotten about it. One day it's unearthed, and put up for sale. Mom becomes a felon for having unencoded ammo. Yeah, that's exactly what they're after. :barf:
