Nixa lawmaker proposes tax holiday for gun purchases

Missourians would be able to buy guns tax-free on the Saturday after the Fourth of July under a bill Rep. Jered Taylor has proposed.

The Nixa Republican said the aim of his bill is to make firearms more affordable so more people can buy guns to protect their families.

"The one (bill) I'm most excited about is creating a tax holiday for new gun purchases the Saturday following the Fourth of July. You know, making it more affordable for all Missourians to purchase a firearm to protect themselves or their families if they decide," Taylor said Wednesday.

Taylor later added, "We've seen some recent mass shootings and there are Missourians who desire to protect their families if the need arises and may not be able to afford it, so I think as a legislature we should try to do everything we can to make sure it more affordable if they are law abiding and choose to do so."

Rep. Stacey Newman, D-St. Louis, who has pressed for stronger gun regulations during her time as a legislator, said the bill is ill-conceived because guns make people less safe, not more.

"The whole idea that more guns equals more safety is blatantly false and it is pushed by the gun lobby," Newman said, adding parts of her district are plagued by gun violence. "Again, I represent a district that has gun violence. Some of these legislators live in areas where there isn't that rate of gun violence."

The tax holiday would apply to only guns and not accessories or ammunition, Taylor said. The bill would create the one-day sales tax holiday for gun purchases beginning in 2017, according to its language. Taylor has pre-filed the bill for the 2016 legislative session, which begins next month and will run through May.

Taylor said the legislation contains a provision that would allow counties and cities to opt out of the tax holiday by passing an ordinance. In municipalities that opt out, the tax holiday would still apply to the state sales tax, he said. The bill also contains a sunset provision after six years but could be renewed by the General Assembly.

Taylor has also pre-filed the companion bill to the legislation Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, submitted earlier this month that would allow concealed weapons on college campuses in Missouri. Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, has proposed similar legislation.

Under current law, Missourians can carry concealed weapons in public if they obtain a permit, but there is a ban against carrying concealed weapons on the state's college campuses. However, some argue a recent court decision invalidated the need for a permit. And Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, has proposed legislation that would allow gun owners to carry concealed firearms without a permit.

Asked if he feared that allowing concealed weapons on college campuses, or elsewhere in the community, could result in civilians accidentally shooting other bystanders during an active shooter situation, Taylor said no. He noted Missourians must undergo eight hours of firearms training to obtain their concealed-carry permit under state law.

"If we can get students who have gone through the CCW class and who've shown they are proficient in using a firearm, who know the safety issues related to firearms, I think it's important that we make sure that they know they have those rights on campus..." Taylor said, adding that carrying a weapon might allow them to stop a mass shooting.

Newman said the notion that allowing students to carry concealed weapons on campuses would make them safer in the event of a mass shooting is a "false argument." She said the eight hours of firearms training required for concealed carry permits is nowhere near enough training to prepare someone to respond to an active shooter situation.

"It's laughable. It's completely laughable," Newman said.

Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott said he would like to see civilians be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campuses and elsewhere.

"The more people that have a weapon, that have taken the time to learn how to use it and learn what their rights are and where their liability lands when they do use, the better off we are as a society," Arnott said.

Asked if the training required to carry a concealed weapon was enough to allow a person to respond in an active shooter situation, Arnott said no but that gun owners should seek out continued training.

"Firearms training should be ongoing, but I'm for people carrying concealed weapons. I think it's a deterrent, and I'm for people being able to protect themselves and their family," he said.

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