Texas could soon have a tax-free holiday for gun shopping

The Texas Senate has passed a bill supporting an annual tax-free weekend for Texas shoppers — those buying guns, that is.

Senate Bill 228, proposed by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R), was approved in a 21-10 vote and is now headed to Texas' House. Creighton called the tax break a "Second Amendment holiday weekend," The Texas Tribune reports, and he wants the holiday to be the last weekend of August, a week before hunting season begins. The tax break would cover firearms, ammunition, and hunting supplies.

Not everyone is happy about the proposal, though — it would apparently cost Texas $3.6 million a year in lost tax revenue. But Creighton thinks the proposal would place Texas on a more even playing field with Louisiana, which already has a similar tax break in place, as do Mississippi and South Carolina.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"Since 2009, retailers in east and southeast Texas have been at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to their Louisiana counterparts," Creighton said in a statement. "Providing this sales tax break prior to the start of hunting season will be an economic driver for small businesses and will provide our hunters much deserved savings."