House panel backs one-week sales-tax holiday for firearm safety devices

The House Revenue and Taxation Committee on Feb. 14 unanimously adopted first substitute HB 143, a bill sponsored by Representative McPherson that would create a one-week sales-tax holiday for specific firearm safety devices, including safes, lockers and trigger locks.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative McPherson, told the committee that the substitute rewrites the underlying measure from last year — which proposed a nonrefundable tax credit — into a short sales-tax holiday similar to exemptions in Texas and Tennessee. “This is a firearm safety incentive bill,” McPherson said, adding that the substitute is intended to be a modest, testable first step.

Committee members said the measure is designed to encourage safe storage and reduce access to firearms during moments of crisis. The committee chair noted Utah’s efforts on suicide prevention and said, “The easiest way is to put time and distance between somebody who is experiencing suicidal ideation and lethal means.”

Key provisions and details discussed

- Scope: The exemption would apply to sales of firearm-safety devices such as safes, lockers and…