Tax-Free Guns on Black Friday weekend in SC .. WTF!!?

[DemoTex]

TVs and laptops won't be the only hot items in South Carolina this Black Friday. The state is offering an unusual perk to shoppers: no sales tax on handguns, rifles and shotguns.

The so-called "Second Amendment Weekend" is thanks to a little-debated amendment legislators tacked on this summer to a tax break for energy-efficient appliances.

While the energy-efficiency measure doesn't go into effect until next year, on Friday and Saturday gun buyers won't have to pay state and local sales taxes that can total 8 percent. Taxes still apply to ammunition and accessories.

"We are a gun-owning-tradition state, a hunting-tradition state," said Republican state Rep. Mike Pitts, a retired police officer who introduced the proposal and has promoted other pro-gun legislation. (More at Fox link)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,458225,00.html

South Carolina was recently named the state with the highest rate of violent crime in the nation, and everyone in the state knows it. I know Fundies and Wing-nuts who, like me, are furious over this sneaky action by the South Carolina Legislature.

The gun issue aside, the state is in a severe budget crisis with big cutbacks in public services and public education (including all state colleges and universities). WTF are these assholes thinking? WTF is next? Tax-free weekends on beer, wine, and whiskey? Tax-free holidays on cigs?

:wtf:

[FarCenter]

1. Guns don't kill; ammunition kills

There are too many guns in circulation, and they are too long lived for gun control to ever be effective in the US.

On the other hand, banning the manufacture, importation and sale of centerfire pistol ammunition, except to the military and sworn peace officers, would likely be highly effective.

Since ammunition is a "consumable" and becomes unreliable with time, most would be removed from circulation fairly rapidly and the rest would be hoarded.

[michreject]

9. There's plenty of ammo on the market

That's a 100 years old and shoots just fine.

[liberal N proud]

2. That just adds to the insanity of Black Friday

[aikoaiko]

3. I know people who have been saving for these taxfree days and gun dealers who have been holding guns

behind there counters just for this tax free couple of days.

Even my MIL picked up her G-35 yesterday.

As you say it doesn't help the state budget, and it only helps the buyer a little, but buyers appreciate the break.

[Versailles]

4. SC is miserable...

As a Vermont transplant to here I'm rather miserable. My now wife and I bought a house here because I got a job teaching...one year later I'm unemployed. SC is full of insane evangelical fundies that far outweigh those who are moderate or left. I honestly was scared to display a Obama car magnet or put a sign up. Many of my former students know where I live and they are vehement right wingers because all their parents listen to is the talking heads like Billo on Fox. And with most of them owning guns, I'm not taking any chances...

I wish we could move back north to the sanity...

[Captain Hilts]

11. Living there in the 70s was a nightmare. Just terrible. nt

[slackmaster]

13. My ex-wife liked it there

She lived near Myrtle Beach.

[aikoaiko]

23. Well Vermont may be the best place to live in the entire US

Not much can compare to it.


I live near the southern part of SC and its wonderfully rural for the most part and Charleston is a great city. You're right of course that there are a lot religious fundies, but thats true of where I live in GA too.

Of course, SC is saddled with the Gamecocks too which is a terrible burden.

[KittyWampus]

5. have to stock up on armaments what with gun-grabber Washington Democrats in power

:sarcasm:

[-..__...]

6. I wish they would do that in my state.

At least for ammo sales (never hurts to stock up with the way ammo prices have been skyrocketing).

I'm not looking to purchase anything in particular at the moment, but with a federal excise tax on firearms and ammo already in existence, any break would be welcome.

[jody]

7. Given your assertion re SC crime, how many of it's cities over 100k have murder rates in the top 25?

CITY         MURDER RATE PER 100k
New Orleans      94.7
Richmond         45.9
Detroit          45.8
Baltimore        45.2
St. Louis        39.6
Birmingham       37.8
Newark           37.1
Baton Rouge      31.1
Washington       30.8
Oakland          30.3
Little Rock      27.6
Philadelphia     27.3
Richmond         26.6
Jackson          26.2
Atlanta          25.9
Flint            25.9
Hartford         24.9
Rochester        24.2
Montgomery       22.8
San Bernardino   22.4
Norfolk          21.1
Cleveland        20.5
Buffalo          19.7
Memphis          19.1

[DemoTex]

15. See my post #14

You can Google for the breakdown if you wish. I merely cited the FBI statement that was widely reported in the state (see WYFF-TV link).

[jody]

19. OK but SC cities do not compare with the large ones I cited. Chicago's is 15.7 v. Cheyenne at 1.8.

D.C. rate is 30 .8 (all data from FBI stats for 2007)

What works in Cheyenne will work in cities that banned firearms for self-defense.

At least it would give law-abiding victims a fighting chance against violent crime.

When a victim is attacked by a violent criminal and seconds count, police are only minutes away! :shrug:

[-..__...]

20. Think there might be a connection?

Looks like SC has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country too.

# 48 @ %8.0

http://www.bls.gov/web/laumstrk.htm

[lazer47]

8. As long as we are allowed to own guns we are participants

without guns we become SUBJECTS,, you don't have to be a right wing Repug, to believe in the Second Amendment,, Don't forget the Revolution was started over England trying to tax tea.

[Paladin]

16. So The Only Way To Participate In Government Is To Own A Gun?

Jeez, move it back down to the Gun Dungeon, where such drivel is taken seriously.....

[michreject]

10. Where did you read this?

South Carolina was recently named the state with the highest rate of violent crime in the nation

[DemoTex]

14. "SC Most Violent State FBI Says" (WYFF-TV Greenville, SC)

Google "South Carolina Violent Crime" for other citings ..

http://www.wyff4.com/news/17949907/detail.html?rss=gs&psp=news

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=south+carolina+violent+crime&aq=1&oq=south+carolina+violent+

[michreject]

21. Thanks

Never would have guessed it.

I would have bought some tax free guns too, if I lived there.

[Versailles]

24. I believe it...

Sumter, where I live, is about 35,000...since I've been here, just over a year, there have been 4 shootings that I can think of and at least 6 stabbings. The most famous was the halloween incident that made the national news. Guy with an AK47 opened fire on a kid coming to his house to get candy cause the lights were on. Kid died and his father and baby brother were injured. The guy who started shooting said that he had been robbed and he thought that the kid was another robber with a mask on...

[slackmaster]

12. I rarely pay sales tax on firearms anyway

I buy most of mine in other states to avoid it.

[aikoaiko]

22. I wonder it in-state FFLs had this in mind too.

I hadn't thought of the no-gun tax weekend as a way to fight back from online sales, but perhaps this was part of the thinking.

Like I said, I know people who actually saved up and preorderd so they could buy this weekend in SC.

[OnionPatch]

17. Well, time to stock up!

:)

[DonEBrook]

18. They seem to have knife problems too

http://www.wyff4.com/news/18159185/detail.html