WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) and Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Richard Hudson (R-NC) introduced the Freedom from Unfair Gun Taxes Act on March 27, 2025. The proposed legislation would prohibit states from imposing excise taxes on firearms and ammunition when those taxes are used to fund gun control programs.
According to Senator Risch, the bill is intended to counter what he described as attempts by certain states to “exploit the Second Amendment” by financially burdening law-abiding gun owners. “The Freedom from Unfair Gun Taxes Act ensures states do not place a significant financial burden on law-abiding gun owners to advance their anti-Second Amendment agenda,” said Risch.
Representative Issa echoed the sentiment, pointing to California’s recently enacted 11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition. “The latest attack is California’s imposition of a ‘sin tax’ on firearms and ammunition. This outrageous and unfair burden on law-abiding citizens is why Sen. Risch, Rep. Hudson, and I are working to stop this,” he said.
Representative Hudson added, “Their latest scheme is an unconstitutional tax that seeks to price you out of your right to keep and bear arms.”
California implemented its 11% excise tax in 2024, explicitly designed to discourage gun purchases and fund gun control initiatives. Colorado is set to follow with a 6.5% excise tax beginning in April 2025. Other states, including Maryland, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, and New Mexico, have introduced similar proposals.
The bill has garnered support from a coalition of Republican lawmakers, including Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), among others. It has also been endorsed by national organizations including the National Rifle Association (NRA), National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.
John Commerford, Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, called the bill a necessary response to a growing trend. “California and Colorado have already implemented a gun tax to fund their gun control efforts and dismantle the Second Amendment,” he said. “Senator Risch’s bill would prevent these blatant and egregious attacks on the rights of Americans.”
This legislation underscores the growing tension between state-level gun control measures and federal-level protections of the Second Amendment. While states have broad authority to tax, this bill would carve out an exception when those taxes directly target constitutionally protected rights.
Efforts to impose financial barriers to firearm ownership have drawn sharp criticism from Second Amendment advocates, who argue that the right to keep and bear arms should not be contingent on one’s ability to pay additional taxes. If passed, the Freedom from Unfair Gun Taxes Act would be a significant step toward ensuring that constitutional rights cannot be undermined through fiscal policy.
