Wisconsin lawmakers propose making gun safes tax-free to encourage people to lock firearms up

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text “HOPELINE” to the National Crisis Text Line at 741741.

A new proposal that would make gun safes exempt from Wisconsin sales tax − an effort to encourage more people to secure their firearms − began circulating among lawmakers in Madison Tuesday.

The bill was authored by two Republicans and was getting Democratic support just hours after it was sent around. Such measures are routinely circulated for sponsorship before being formally introduced.

State Rep. Adam Neylon, R-Pewaukee, and state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, are the authors of the proposal. State Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, and Rep. Deb Andraca, D-Whitefish Bay, both agreed to co-sponsor the measure Tuesday afternoon, their offices confirmed.

In a joint statement, Neylon and Wanggaard said: “We are offering this legislation to encourage people to store guns securely, and keep children safe from accidental injury, death, and suicide. Simply put, this bill promotes responsible gun safety.”

Subeck said in a statement that better storage is vital to stem the number of children being killed by firearms. “While there is much we need to do to prevent these deaths, increasing access to gun safes and promoting safe storage is the very least we can do,” she said.

Andraca added: “I hope this bill signals a new willingness by my Republican colleagues to work together and finally pass common-sense gun safety laws to keep Wisconsinites safe.”

The new proposal echos a 2019 bill, which also had bipartisan support. It was authored by then-state Sen. Patty Schachtner, D-Somerset, who has since left the Legislature. Wanggaard was a co-sponsor.

That bill, however, did not advance out of committee. The state Department of Revenue estimated the bill would have resulted in $309,000 in lost tax revenue.

Several other states exempt gun safes from sales tax, including Washington, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Texas. And a hospital in Philadelphia is giving away gun safes for free.

It is far more common for groups to give out free cable locks, which are inexpensive but not as effective as gun safes, experts say.

The proposed measure comes as firearms deaths have jumped in recent years in Wisconsin. In 2022, the most recent year data was available, more than 800 people died from gunshot wounds, a 95% rate increase when adjusted for population growth since 2004, a Journal Sentinel analysis found.

Suicides are the largest category of firearm deaths, accounting for 71 of every 100 such deaths in Wisconsin. In 2022, there were more than 500 firearm suicides in Wisconsin, a record high for the state.

Gun safes are particularly useful in preventing accidental shootings involving children, which are comparatively rare, but extremely tragic and easily avoidable with secure storage of firearms.

In 2023, Gov. Tony Evers included a measure in his budget that would have made gun safes as well as trigger locks and gun barrel locks exempt from sales tax, as part of a larger package of firearms-related measures. The bill did not pass.

Evers, a Democrat, last week created an office within the state Department of Administration aimed at reducing shootings, following a deadly school shooting in Madison in December.

Evers said he would put $10 million toward the new state office that will distribute funds to local school districts, city and county officials, firearm dealers and nonprofit groups.

He also promised a sweeping package of firearms-related proposals in his 2025-27 state budget that will be released in February. He urged the Republican-controlled Legislature to pass the measures, which have been been defeated in the past. It is unclear yet if the package will include a measure to exempt gun safes from sales tax.

Journal Sentinel Reporter Molly Beck contributed to this article.