The new Virginia tax credit for gun storage devices.
A Step Towards Safer Communities and Reduced Gun Violence?
In 2023, the Virginia Department of Taxation reported that 1,905 residents used a new tax credit for gun storage devices like safes and locks. This credit up to $300, was established by the General Assembly to encourage the purchase of these safety items. Lori Haas from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions emphasized that easy access to guns can lead to harmful, impulsive decisions.
(photo: Tahlequah Daily Press)
The Importance of Gun Safety and Security in Preventing Tragedies
Haas highlighted the importance of gun safes and locks in preventing self-harm and violence. Many of these actions are impulsive and secure storage can provide crucial time to prevent them. This is particularly important in cases like the Richneck Elementary School incident where a six-year-old shot a teacher with his mother’s gun.
Haas stressed that parents must lock up their guns as children do not understand the serious consequences of using them. Securing firearms can greatly reduce accidental shootings and intentional harm. The tax credit for gun safety devices, available through 2027 is a key step in promoting responsible gun ownership and protecting communities from preventable tragedies, according to the report of ABC 8 News.
