Exempts from the sales tax firearm safety equipment, storage devices, gun safes, gun cabinets, gun vaults, gun cases, strong boxes, cable locks, trigger locks and biometric locks.

Rhode Island Bill: Sales Tax Exemption for Firearm Safety Equipment

This bill would remove the Rhode Island sales tax from a range of products designed to safely store and secure firearms. Specifically, items like gun safes, gun cabinets, gun vaults, gun cases, strong boxes, cable locks, trigger locks, and biometric locks would no longer be subject to sales tax when purchased in Rhode Island. Currently, these items are taxed like most other retail goods under the state's sales and use tax.

The bill would primarily affect Rhode Island residents who own firearms and purchase safety storage equipment. By making these products less expensive — since buyers would no longer pay the state's 7% sales tax on them — the bill aims to reduce the financial barrier to buying secure storage solutions. For example, a gun safe that costs $300 would save a buyer about $21 under this exemption.

The bill has been introduced in the Rhode Island Senate and referred to the Senate Finance Committee, where it will be reviewed before any further action is taken. If passed, it could have a modest impact on state tax revenue, since the state would collect less money from the sale of these items. The size of that impact would depend on how many people purchase firearm safety equipment in Rhode Island each year.