The Georgia House on Tuesday passed the third bill this session that could save gun owners money.
State representatives voted 162-3 to approve House Bill 971, which would grant tax credits of up to $300 to Georgia residents who purchase gun safes or gun safety accessories, or who take a firearm safety course.
Earlier this year, senators passed a bill that would establish a five-day sales tax holiday on guns, ammunition and other accessories, as well as a bill to waive the tax on gun safes and safety accessories year-round.
Republican supporters of HB 971 say it’s a good way to keep Georgians safe while also preserving their rights.
“This bill is consistent with our constitutional rights under the Second Amendment, but it allows us to place protection of ourselves and our families in a responsible manner,” said state Rep. Mark Newton, an Augusta Republican who sponsored the bill.
State Rep. Charlice Byrd, a Woodstock Republican, said the bill was a way to create a gun registry within the Department of Revenue that could eventually lead to guns being seized.
However, the bill explicitly says no one can create a list or database of people who’ve applied for or been granted a tax credit for gun-safety measures.
State Rep. Michelle Au, a Johns Creek Democrat, said the bill would help keep people safe.
“This bill does not ban anything,” she said. “It does not punish anything, it does not restrict anything and it does not criminalize anything. What this bill does is encourage safe gun ownership.”
Au said HB 971 was a good, bipartisan first step toward gun safety. Last year she filed House Bill 161, which would make it a crime to leave a firearm accessible to a child.
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