Colorado voters approved a measure to impose a 6.5 percent excise tax on gun and ammunition sales this election cycle with 54 percent voting in favor.

It makes Colorado the second state in the country to approve such a measure, after one took effect in California in July.

The expected $39 million in proceeds will support crime victims and mental health services in the state, with a portion of the money going to schools.

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“There is a lot of tax revenue from this industry and I think it will cause some stores to close. I think it will hurt sales,” said Wayne Price, owner of The Gun Room in Lakewood, Colorado.

Price estimates the new tax will add $6,000 to $7,000 to his expenses each month, which he says he will have to pass on to the consumer through higher prices because margins are already tight.

With some of its guns worth up to $10,000, the new tax could add up to $650 to the price of a purchase.

“We’re imposing a constitutional right to fund this, which I think is doing it the wrong way,” Price said.

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The money in Proposition KK is to make up for losses after federal grants for these programs fell 45 percent this year, according to state data. The state of Colorado says this is due to drastic reductions in the number of fines and sentences against federal offenders because that money solely funds these Crime Victims Act grants.

“If it didn’t pass, the fear (of) how it would be funded because there’s no money in the state budget,” said Eileen McCarron, president of Colorado Cease Fire, the group behind the bill.

McCarron says guns are subject to this tax because of their prevalence in domestic violence cases. Conformable Research in every cityaccess to a gun makes a woman five times more likely to die from domestic abuse.

McCarron says this was not a measure intended to restrict gun ownership or use. Six other states are working on similar legislation across the country.