Democrat Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-CA) dropped a rare truth bomb on Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power” this Thursday, admitting that Californians are getting gouged at the pump—“my neighbors pay way too much already”—but then swerved hard into hypocrisy by slamming a federal gas tax holiday as a threat to “basic infrastructure.” The clip cuts off mid-sentence, but the implication is clear: ditch the gas tax, and poof, roads crumble. This from a guy representing the state with the nation’s highest gas prices, thanks to a cocktail of state taxes, refinery regulations, and green mandates that jack up costs to over $5 a gallon on average. Liccardo’s right about the pain—drivers in the Golden State fork over nearly 80 cents per gallon in state excise taxes alone, plus underground storage fees and cap-and-trade BS—but his solution? More government dependency, not relief.
What’s clever here isn’t just the flip-flop; it’s the unwitting parallel to California’s suffocating regulatory stranglehold on everything from guns to gasoline. Just like the state’s 10+ day wait periods, assault weapon bans, and microstamping mandates drive up the cost of exercising 2A rights—turning a basic AR-15 build into a $2,000+ ordeal—those same bureaucrats layer on fuel taxes under the guise of infrastructure while roads remain pothole-ridden disasters. A gas tax holiday would put real money back in pockets, much like national reciprocity or deregulating suppressors would empower gun owners without bankrupting them. But no, Liccardo and his ilk prefer the nanny state model: overtax, overregulate, then cry poverty when the system they built implodes.
For the 2A community, this is a teachable moment—Democrats like Liccardo expose their playbook daily. High costs aren’t accidents; they’re features designed to price out the little guy, whether it’s ammo shortages from lead bans or gas prices that make range trips a luxury. Push back by highlighting these absurdities: if even a blue-state Rep. admits the gouging, imagine the ammo windfall from slashing ATF fees or ending pointless pistol brace rules. Voters in swing districts, take note—vote for relief, not more holidays that never come. California’s gas mess is a preview of their gun control utopia: pay up or stay sidelined.
