COLUMBUS, Ohio — Firearms and ammunition could have no sales tax under a new bill introduced this month. Sponsors of the bill are citing the second amendment, and say it will be easier and affordable for people of all social and economic classes to bear arms. It will also provide firearm and ammunition manufacturers a federal tax incentive.
“West Virginia passed a law that said that guns and ammunition were going to be exempt from sales tax,” said Spectrum News legal analyst Rory Riley-Topping. “This is Ohio saying one of their arguments is that they need to stay competitive with surrounding states like West Virginia.”
“We are enforcing the constitutional rights of our citizens with this legislature. This will not only lower costs for Ohioans but it will also assist Ohio businesses,” said State Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield.
Cutrona and State Sen. Tim Schaffer, R-Lancaster, are working on this bill.
“There isn’t a technical legal exemption for the taxation of firearms based on what they are,” Riley-Topping said. “There is the federal excise tax that they are also trying to get around. They’ve mentioned as well that this is in part to offset those federal excise taxes and make firearms more accessible.”
Kristine Woodworth, a volunteer leader from “Moms Demand Action,” says this could potentially lead to more gun violence.
“Gun violence, deaths and injuries continue to increase every single year,” Woodworth said. “Whatever we’re doing is not making us safer. And they need to think about going in the in the other direction. There are plenty of policy solutions that would reduce gun violence. They could pass background checks on all gun sales, which we don’t currently have.”
Rob Sexton, the legislative affairs director of Buckeye Firearms Association, is thrilled about this legislation, and says removing sales tax could boost the economy. However, the loss in revenue from the sales tax on these items might be something the legislature will have to look at.
“They’ll have to make some decisions on that because obviously sales tax goes into state coffers,” Sexton said. “There’s some budgetary implications to deal with on it in terms of a public policy move. This is an idea that I just think makes things a little bit easier for people who need that option to buy a firearm to protect themselves.”
