Ohio GOP proposes tax-free guns, ammo
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Republican lawmakers in the Ohio House and Senate have introduced a pair of bills to exempt sales tax from "certain firearms and ammunition."
The bill would also provide tax incentives for firearm industry manufacturers in Ohio and provide a tax credit that would offset the federal excise tax.
Rep. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield) is sponsoring House Bill 189; 10 other House Republicans have signed onto that bill.
“We are enforcing the constitutional rights of our citizens with this legislation,” Cutrona said in a statement. “This will not only lower costs for Ohioans, but it will also assist Ohio’s businesses.”
State Sen. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) is sponsoring Senate Bill 134; one other Republican Senator has signed onto the Senate version.
“I am proud to work with Representative Cutrona on removing burdensome taxation on Ohioans exercising their Second Amendment right,” Schaffer said in a statement. “This is the least we can do to make owning a firearm for self-defense, hunting, and sport more affordable for the average Ohioan.”
A spokesperson for House Republicans wrote in a statement that this legislation "would make Ohio more competitive with other states," and, if passed, "would make Ohio one of the first states to exempt Second Amendment-protected goods from sales tax."
This pair of bills comes as the Second Amendment Preservation Act moves through the House Government Oversight Committee. That's a bill opponents worry would loosen restrictions, but proponents said it simply protects the Second Amendment.
HB 189 has not yet been assigned to a committee. SB 124 will be heard in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
Neither bill has had its first hearing yet.