Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) is making moves in Congress to ensure that gun owners across America aren’t financially punished for exercising their Second Amendment rights. Last week, Jackson introduced the No User Fees for Gun Owners Act (H.R. 943), a bill designed to prohibit state and local governments from imposing insurance mandates, taxes, or other fees as a condition of owning a firearm. Meanwhile, in the Texas Legislature, Rep. Benjamin Bumgarner (R-TX) is taking direct aim at state-imposed costs with HB 920, which would eliminate sales tax on firearms, ammunition, and accessories.

These two bills strike at the heart of anti-gun financial restrictions, preventing government officials from using taxation as a tool of gun control.

Jackson’s Bill: Blocking Backdoor Gun Control via Taxes

Jackson’s No User Fees for Gun Owners Act is a preemptive strike against left-wing state and local governments that have begun imposing “sin taxes” on firearm ownership, treating it like alcohol or tobacco. In places like California and Illinois, Democrats are weaponizing excise taxes against gun owners, making firearms and ammunition prohibitively expensive.

Jackson’s bill ensures that no state or locality can impose additional taxes or fees on firearm ownership, effectively stopping a strategy anti-gunners have increasingly embraced—choking out gun rights through financial barriers instead of outright bans.

Jackson is making it clear: Republicans control Congress, and now is the time to restore gun rights.

“The radical Left has been trying to chip away at our Constitutional rights for years, particularly the right to bear arms,” Jackson said. “Under President Trump’s leadership and a Republican-controlled Congress, we have a chance to return to our country’s founding principles and protect Americans’ Second Amendment rights for generations to come.”

If passed, Jackson’s bill would immediately block any effort by blue-state governors and city councils to financially penalize gun ownership. This is vital for Texans, many of whom have fled states like California, only to find that the anti-gun lobby is working overtime to export their policies nationwide.

Bumgarner’s HB 920: Permanent Tax Relief for Texas Gun Owners

In Texas, Rep. Benjamin Bumgarner’s HB 920 takes a different but equally effective approach—permanently eliminating sales tax on firearms, ammunition, and accessories.

Texas currently applies a 6.25% state sales tax on all firearm and ammo purchases, not including additional local tax rates that can bring the total closer to 8.25% in some areas. That means Texans are paying an extra $62.50 in tax for every $1,000 spent on guns and ammo—a tax that does nothing but punish law-abiding gun owners.

Bumgarner’s bill cuts straight through this problem by abolishing the tax entirely, ensuring that Texans aren’t forced to pay the state for their right to self-defense.

While Georgia recently passed a weak, temporary version of this idea—a Second Amendment tax holiday that lasts just a few days per year—Texas has the chance to set the gold standard by making the tax elimination permanent.

Bumgarner’s bill would save Texas gun owners hundreds or even thousands of dollars over a lifetime, particularly in an era when Democrats are aggressively pushing price hikes on firearms and ammunition through both regulation and taxation.

No Weak Compromises; Republicans Control the Government

The political establishment loves weak, symbolic victories that keep gun owners begging for more — all while giving them fodder for the campaign trail. Gun owners should be wary of any schemes the political establishment throws up to sidestep HB 920, such as a temporary tax holiday instead of something that is permanent.

But the truth is, there is never an acceptable reason for compromise when it comes to our rights protected by the Second Amendment — especially when Republicans hold majorities.

In both D.C. and Texas, Republicans control all three branches of government, so there is no excuse for half-measures or breadcrumbs.

Law-abiding citizens are already under attack by an anti-gun bureaucracy weaponizing taxation against them, so it’s time to go on the offensive and secure real pro-gun victories.