Gun, Ammo and Supplies are Tax Free East of Texas This Weekend

Plans are going to differ for everyone for the 2023 Labor Day Weekend. Some will grill and hang out by the lake. Some will just chill at home with the family. Some will use the weekend for a big shopping excursion. What if I told you part of that shopping could include picking up a new firearm for the cabinet and some extra ammo for your other pieces and it's all tax free? I can see your head tilt and ears perking up. You can for the 2023 Labor Day Weekend but you'll have to cross state lines into Louisiana to do it. Why doesn't Texas do this? I'll tell you about that, too.

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2023 Annual Louisiana Second Amendment Weekend Holiday

Earlier this year in June, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law Senate Bill 56 which made the Labor Day Weekend of 2023, September 1 through September 3, as a tax free holiday for eligible firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies. As long as a purchase is made before midnight Sunday, September 3, that eligible item will not incur a tax. As with any weekend like this, there are some restrictions as well. Below is what is and isn't eligible:

Eligible for Tax Exemption

• Firearms such as hunting rifles, shotguns, revolvers, pistols and other handguns
• Ammunition
• Archery items and other archery accessories
• Accessories designed for hunting
• Apparel including safety gear, camouflage clothing, jackets, hats, gloves, mittens, face masks, and thermal underwear manufactured and marketed as being primarily for wear or use while hunting
• Hunting shoes or boots designed for hunting
• Bags to carry game or hunting gear
• Tools manufactured and marketed as being primarily for use in hunting
• Firearm cases and accessories
• Pirogues
• Range finders
• Hunting knives
• Decoys
• Tree stands and blinds
• Chairs used for hunting
• Optics, such as rifle scopes, impact resistant glasses for shooting, and binoculars
• Hearing protection gear and enhancements
• Holsters and belts that are manufactured and marketed as being primarily for use in hunting and slings
• Miscellaneous gear manufactured and marketed as being primarily for use in hunting

Not Eligible for Tax Exemption

• Sale of animals used while hunting, such as dogs
• Animal feed of any kind
• Sales or purchases of toys or off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles
• Golf carts, go-carts, dirt bikes, mini-bikes, motorcycles, tractors, motor vehicles which may be legally driven on the streets and highways of Louisiana
• Heavy equipment such as cranes, forklifts, backhoes, and bulldozers
• Float tubes and vessels, such as airboats
• Knives for household, business, or other recreational uses
• Chairs or other furniture for household, business, or other recreational uses

Why doesn't Texas do this?

That's a good question. I did some digging and found that Texas did establish a tax free weekend for firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies in 2015 but seemed to have been repealed after that. In 2021, the Texas Senate voted in favor of this same tax free weekend but it looks like it didn't pass the House so it never made it to the governor. One reason it may not have passed was simply a loss in tax revenue or about $11 million.

If you are in need of a new firearm, ammunition and/or hunting supplies, head to the east and pick up some from our friends in Louisiana. If you want to get more details, just go to revenue.louisiana.gov.