Sporting goods retailers reported Saturday that business had been brisk as a result of the state’s Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday, which began Friday.
Guns, ammunition and archery supplies are exempt from the state’s 7 percent sales tax during the holiday, which continues today. The holiday does not cover clothing or other non-hunting or firearm-related items.
“It’s been pretty good. We’ve sold several firearms,” Howard Smith, owner of Smith & Co., said Saturday.
Smith said business was a little quieter on Saturday afternoon: “I think a lot of people are watching football.”
Ward Gilbert, manager of Outlaw Sporting Goods, said traffic was heavy both Friday and Saturday.
“We had a big influx this morning, and then we had another wave come through,” he said.
Gilbert said most of the sportsmen buying firearms and ammunition remembered the holiday from last year, when it was held for the first time.
“It’s an opportunity for the outdoorsman to take advantage of considerable savings on guns and ammunition. If they can save from $100 to $300 on a purchase, that’s good,” he said.
A similar program in Louisiana inspired the state Legislature to create the holiday.
Smith said his business, which has an extensive selection of women’s clothing, benefits in other ways. A husband might go in to purchase a shotgun while his wife shops for a new dress, and “that’s the kind of thing that works out well for us,” he said.
•Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
