The Florida Legislature has passed a bill including tax holidays for firearms accessories, and hunting, fishing, and camping supplies. Firearms silencers/suppressors are included as firearms accessories. If Governor DeSantis signs the bill, most of the act will take effect on July 1, 2026. The sales tax holiday for firearms, ammunition, and listed firearm accessories would run from September 1 through December 31, 2026.
The Florida Legislature passed HB 7031E, as amended by the Conference Committee Report, YEAS 29 to NAYS 6, on May 29, 2026. The bill passed the House a couple of hours earlier, 88 YEAS to 11 NAYS. The bill is a major taxation bill for Florida. Earlier bill materials discussed a separate firearm-accessory exemption, but the enrolled bill places the firearm, ammunition, and firearm-accessory language in Section 43, the hunting, fishing, and camping sales tax holiday.
The firearm accessories are for pistols, rifles and shotguns which fire projectiles using an explosive charge. According to the NRA, whether suppressors/silencers would be included in the bill was uncertain until the vote on May 29. An amendment had included them in the bill, but those tax holidays could have been stripped from the bill before the final vote. They were not. If Governor DeSantis signs the bill, the items will be exempt from taxes in Chapter 212 of the Florida Statutes during the holiday period.
Firearms, ammunition, and listed firearm accessories are included in the hunting, fishing, and camping sales tax holiday, which runs from September 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026.
The accessories include:
- Firearm Barrels.
- Firearm cases or range bags.
- Firearm charging handles.
- Firearm pistol grips.
- Firearm handguards.
- Firearm holsters.
- Internal firearm parts and components.
- Firearm magazines or other ammunition feeding devices or carriers.
- Firearm shooting mats, rests, or bipods.
- Firearm shooting chronographs.
- Firearm sights or optics.
- Firearm slides or cylinders.
- Firearm slings.
- Firearm stocks or braces.
- Firearm cleaning kits.
- Firearm suppressors or silencers.
- Firearm triggers.
Alert readers may find some parts of firearms that are not covered.
The Hunting, fishing and camping sales tax holiday is not so generous. It only lasts from September 1 through December 31 of 2026. This tax holiday covers complete firearms as well as ammunition for firearms, bows, crossbows, arrows, bolts, quarrels, quivers, releases, sights or optics, and wristguards.
Fishing and camping supplies are included in the tax holiday, but limited in the price of the items covered. The price listed is the maximum cost of the item to qualify for the tax holiday:
- Rods and reels: individually, $75, as a set $150.
- Tackle boxes or bags: $30.
- Bait or fishing tackle: $10 or less if sold individually, or $20 or less if multiple items are sold together.
- Camping supplies: $200 for a tent
- Sleeping bags, portable hammocks, camping stoves and collapsable camping chairs: $50 or less.
- Camping lanterns and flashlights: $30.
Florida’s general state sales tax rate is 6%. Many counties impose a discretionary sales surtax, currently ranging from 0.5% to 1.5%, while some counties impose no surtax. The tax holidays apply to the entire sales tax, not just the state portion of the sales tax.
The Florida tax bill has to be sent to Governor DeSantis for signature. Major tax bills are seldom vetoed.
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About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
