Local stores fired up about nation's only gun tax holiday this weekend

In recent days, more than a half-dozen callers to Lowcountry Outfitters have inquired about South Carolina's upcoming tax holiday on guns, said Lynn Davis, co-owner of the business in Moss Creek Village in greater Bluffton.

Though critics question the value of the tax break, Davis supports it.

Some of those shoppers probably would have bought a gun without the break, but it could be enough to entice those who are "teetering," Davis said.

"In this time, in this economy, it's a good thing," she said.

The state's 48-hour "Second Amendment Weekend" begins just after midnight Friday.

South Carolina had the nation's only tax holiday on guns last year. Legislators tacked it on to a tax break on energy-efficient appliances, then restored it in the budget this year.

Louisiana followed this year with its own sales tax holiday for hunters in September. That break went further, applying to any item that could be used for hunting or fishing, including off-road vehicles, air boats, animal feed and ear plugs.

South Carolina is the only state to designate a tax-free weekend during two of the year's biggest shopping days.

How much shoppers saved in the gun-friendly state last Thanksgiving weekend is unknown. State economic officials estimated it would cost the state about $15,000 in lost revenues.

State Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, said the break is "not too detrimental, yet can be good for the stores."

She sees nothing wrong with the break but wants its impact on state revenues examined as part of legislators' ongoing attempt to overhaul the tax system.

"Which am I going to feel worse about: the state not getting revenue or folks not getting a break on something they need or want?" she said.

State Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Bluffton, said the break is primarily an effort to tout South Carolina's gun-friendly reputation.

"I think the whole thing is kind of innocuous," Herbkersman said. "I think it's more of a statement than an attempt to go out and get people to buy guns."

State Rep. Richard Chalk, R-Hilton Head Island, suspects the state makes up at least some of its losses by gaining taxes on items shoppers buy along with guns.

"They will buy a sling or a sight or a case to put it in and then all the ammunition," Chalk said. "All those things are taxed."

The National Rifle Association praises the idea.

"It allows gun owners in tough economic times to stock up on the hunting season and holiday season," said NRA spokeswoman Alexa Fritts.

But the director of a nonprofit organization pushing for changes in South Carolina's tax structure said, "There is no good tax reason to have a gun sales tax holiday."

"It isn't tax policy. It's gun policy," said John Ruoff of South Carolina Fair Share. "Our state tax system is sufficiently screwed up, that instead of taking a serious look at it ... we keep doing stuff like a gun sales tax holiday or a going-back-to-school tax holiday, all of which are very shortsighted tax policies or knee-jerk pandering."

His group argues the state unfairly relies on sales and excise taxes, which disproportionately affect the poor.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.