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Proposal for a one‑week gun‑safety sales‑tax holiday fails in committee amid concerns about creating new tax holidays
Summary
Representative McPherson proposed a weeklong sales‑tax holiday to encourage purchases of gun‑safety devices; committee members praised the safety intent but expressed concern about introducing sales‑tax holidays and the motion to recommend failed.
Representative McPherson proposed House Bill 143 (second substitute), which would establish an annual week (the sponsor proposed the third week of February) as a gun‑safety week and create a one‑week sales‑tax holiday for products whose primary effect is to restrict unauthorized access to firearms.
Why it matters: The sponsor framed the proposal as a fiscally conservative way to encourage firearm safety by temporarily exempting gun‑safety devices from state sales tax; he said the measure reduced the fiscal cost relative to a tax credit.
Committee conversation recognized the shared policy objective—reducing accidental shootings and improving storage—but expressed hesitation about adding sales‑tax holidays to state tax policy. One member said tax holidays have been “problematic in other states” and opposed the approach. The bill received limited public comment from firearm‑industry advocates who supported the measure as a modest incentive. The motion to favorably recommend the substitute failed on a 1–2 recorded division.
