Texas Senate passes bill to establish sales tax holiday for firearms

Kimberly Reeves

From Capitol reporter- Austin Business Journal

Add firearms and ammunition to the list of items the Texas Senate wants to include in a sales tax holiday, with the passage on Thursday of a bill sponsored by Sen. Brandon Creighton.

While the House is soundly behind its proposal to provide a permanent sales tax cut, the Senate continues to tinker with sales tax holidays. Current sales tax holidays are designated for school supplies and appliances. This session, that could be extended to small business purchases on the Saturday after Black Friday and firearms and ammunition on a weekend in advance of hunting season.

“Since 2009, retailers in east and southeast Texas have been at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to their Louisiana counterparts,” said Creighton, R-Continue. “Louisiana, among other states, adopted a sales tax holiday similar to the one we’ve passed today in the Senate.”

An incentive to buy hunting supplies will be an economic driver for small business and much-deserved savings. Creighton said the holiday would promote gun ownership and improve opportunities for all Texans to enjoy their Second Amendment rights. The state and national rifle associations endorsed the bill, saying it supported lawful gun ownership and Texas-based purchases.

The Senate already has passed bills on campus carry and open carry this session, making the session one of the most “gun friendly” in recent memory. In other gun news, Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday he had filed an amicus brief in a challenge to a San Diego County requirement to show a “specific threat” when issuing a concealed-gun permit, saying the standards weakened gun rights.

Separately, a North Texas firearms ammunition maker is set to move its headquarters to the Austin area.