Florida sales-tax exemption on hunting equipment, including guns and ammo, begins

Talon Tactical Outfitters, west of Tallahassee, has bulked up its inventory of hunting rifles and shotguns. 

Starting Monday, Sept. 8, and running through the end of the year, Florida will provide a sales-tax exemption on a variety of hunting equipment, the first time a state tax “holiday” includes guns and ammunition.

JD Johnson, an owner of Talon, which also has a neighboring firing range, said several customers had already reached out to him about plans to make purchases after the discount period begins.

“It’s going to be a significant tax break. Guns are not cheap anymore,” Johnson said. “If you buy a good gun, you’re going to spend a decent amount of money.”

The cost of a quality handgun starts around $400 and can easily exceed $1,000. Hunting rifles range from $500 to $2,500, with a scope adding $400 to $2,000. And then there are accessories and ammunition.

“Ammo is not cheap. The price has never really recovered or come down from the COVID years,” Johnson said. “And the ammunition industry is very international, so we’re dealing with some components of tariffs and things like … availability because of conflicts around the world.”

Johnson said it’s not uncommon for someone to buy $200 or $300 worth of ammunition just for time at the range.

The tax holiday starting Monday will also allow people to avoid paying sales taxes on camping and fishing equipment through the end of the year. It was part of a broad tax package (HB 7031) that lawmakers passed in June.

The state has long held tax holidays for such things as back-to-school supplies and hurricane-preparation supplies. The tax package, for example, included a back-to-school tax holiday that lasted throughout August.

Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a “Second Amendment Summer” tax holiday when he made budget recommendations before this spring’s legislative session. The idea evolved to a holiday later in the year that also included camping and fishing equipment.

Johnson said that later in the year is a stronger selling season for hunting equipment in Florida.

State economists have projected the holiday will save shoppers $44.8 million this year, reducing state revenue by $34.6 million and local revenue by $10.2 million.

While proponents talk of encouraging more gun purchases, the holiday has drawn criticism from people such as Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton.

Polsky called it “irresponsible, coldly political and a slap in the face to the victims and their families” to offer a tax break that encourages more guns, regardless of type, along with attachments such as silencers.

“There is no requirement that these purchases actually be hunting-related,” Polsky wrote recently.

She added the holiday does not cap the prices of firearms eligible for the tax exemption. The state, for example, capped the prices of clothes and personal computers that were covered in the back-to-school tax holiday.

Meanwhile, the League of Women Voters of Florida said the state should have included gun safes and locks in the discount period.

In addition to guns, ammunition and firearm accessories, other items exempt from sales taxes during the period will include bows and accessories; tents that cost $200 or less; sleeping bags and camping stoves that cost $50 or less; camping lanterns that cost $30 or less; fishing rods and reels that cost $75 or less; fishing tackle boxes that cost $30 or less; and bait and fishing tackle that costs $5 or less.