Gun taxes protect wildlife. Here's how they could protect humans.

Could a California proposal on taxing guns and ammunition reignite national interest?

This report is a part of "Rethinking Gun Violence," an ABC News series examining the level of gun violence in the U.S. -- and what can be done about it.

While taxing guns or ammunition may not prevent malicious actors from accessing them, some policymakers and advocates say this approach could raise revenue to fund lifesaving violence prevention programs and help offset the the $280 billion annual price tag of gun violence in America.

Yet resistance to raising taxes is as embedded in the fabric of American society as the right to bear arms, with both sentiments rooted in the nation's founding. While a federal gun tax has been in place for decades, some link these unique political and societal factors in the U.S. -- as well as an aggressive industry lobby -- to the struggles new tax proposals have faced at the state and local level.

After a year that saw a record-high 21 million gun sales (revealed by data on background checks) and record-high gun deaths (34,274 in 2021 alone, per Gun Violence Archive data), some are revisiting how a tax scheme could be used to mitigate the carnage seen in places such as schools, grocery stores and homes.