BRADLEY, WV (WOAY) – Governor Jim Justice signs a bill removing sales taxes on gun and ammunition purchases in West Virginia.
Kent Harless owns a gun shop in Bradley. He says the bill is a huge benefit for owners and manufacturers across the state.
“This will give me a tax credit back from what I’m paying the feds,” said Harless, the President of Precision Weapons Corporation. “So, it gives me more money to operate. More capital.”
Ronnie Wood also owns a gun shop, Flat Top Arms in Beckley. He says buyers saving money on sales taxes will increase demand for guns in the state.
“It’s going to bring a lot of smiles to people when they purchase a firearm,” Wood said. “It’s a big advantage to the in-consumer.”
Harless says that the state is hoping to increase revenue in the firearm industry by signing this bill.
“The state might look at it and say, ‘there’s no revenue for us in it,'” Harless said. “But there’s none in there anyway.”
One of the reasons behind the bill is to draw manufacturers from non-gun friendly states into West Virginia. Wood feels that the state is already a draw for manufacturers, and that will only increase with the new law.
“It’s going to be stimulated because there’s going to be companies that move here,” Wood said. “We’re gun-friendly.”
