(The Center Square) — Georgia lawmakers could consider tax credits to encourage Georgians to buy firearm safety devices.
The idea of a tax credit to incentivize gun safety is not new in Georgia. One example was House Bill 855, the Safe Storage Tax Credit Act, which would have provided a tax credit for eligible expenses.
Lawmakers did not consider the measure during this year’s legislative session.
“One of the things that I thought about in creating this study committee is, what can we do to save as many children as possible from an untimely death associated with a weapon in someone’s home that’s not stored safely?” state Sen. Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur, chair of the Senate Study Committee on Safe Firearm Storage asked during its inaugural meeting. “That’s the overriding and pressing concern that I have in regards to the work that I plan to do on this study committee for the next several meetings that we have.
“And I would kindly ask that we all do the same thing … focus on what’s important, and I understand this is not just a Georgia issue,” Jones added. “…It’s a national issue. But our purpose is to focus on what we can do in our great state to save as many children as we can.”
Roughly a dozen states offer tax relief for firearm safety devices, Andrea Jimenez, a policy associate for the National Conference of State Legislatures, told the committee. Of those, 10 have sales tax exemptions, and two provide tax credits on firearm safety devices.
Jimenez said Virginia offers a tax credit of up to $300 for buying a firearm safety device, while Louisiana offers up to $500. The impact on a state’s revenue varies, ranging from Louisiana’s estimated $500,000 loss to Tennessee’s $1.2 million loss in fiscal 2023-24.
While lawmakers in several states, including California, Oklahoma, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, have introduced a version of firearm safety tax credit legislation, NCSL has received “disparate responses from retailers on whether they are actually giving the credit,” Anne Teigen, associate director in the group’s criminal and civil justice program, told lawmakers.
“One of the things that I want people to recognize is that … somebody that wants to use a device … more power to them,” state Sen. Frank Ginn, R-Danielsville, said.
“One of the questions that I would be concerned about is … putting more cost to the consumer,” Ginn added. “If they’re not going to use [safety devices], I don’t want to see us do something that drives up the cost for all consumers on firearms.”