Yesterday the Texas Senate approved a sales tax holiday for firearms, ammunition and other hunting gear purchases, set for the weekend before the opening of the fall hunting season. The House is considering an identical measure, while neighboring Louisiana and Mississippi already have similar holidays.
Marsha McCartney, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence’s Texas chapter, sniped, “I didn’t know the state was doing so well that we are just giving out new sales tax holidays. Why not give it to other Texans, as well?”
Oh, Marsha: In 2011, 1.1 million Texas hunters generated an economic impact of $3.6 billion, funded $1.1 billion in salaries and paid $498 million in taxes (NSSF, Jan. 2013). Clearly, neighboring states would like a cut of that action.
If you’re against such a vital Texas industry, perhaps your name should be the “Brady Campaign to Prevent Guns.”