[MicroBalrog]

I wonder: How much does it actually cost to enforce all these federal gun laws? Anybody with a number?

[CZ-75]

We probably make the Kanadians look like pikers.

[tyme]

Check out the BATFE's annual and quarterly reports.

They get something like 14 billion in tax revenue. Of that, something like $200-$300 million ($200m plus some percentage of the lump $100m SOT revenues) is from firearms. Interestingly, their tax revenue used to be 12 billion for the late 90s... but jumped just about 2 billion in 2000.

But ignoring the fact that less than 2% of their revenue is from firearms, they spent 81% of their budget on "reducing violent crime" in 2001. To compare with their revenue, their budget was a bit over $800 million in 2001. That means they spent over $600 million on violent crime (which I surmise to mean enforcing gun and explosives laws), but only collected somewhere just above $200 million in firearms taxes.

[Standing Wolf]

They get something like 14 billion in tax revenue.

Obviously, the B.A.T.F.E. needs to have a lot fewer of the nation's hard-earned tax dollars to play with.