We’ve reported several times about the onslaught of anti-gun legislation under consideration in Virginia since voters elected Democrat Abigail Spanberger as their new governor. Many of those measures are seeing great success, with the bill banning common semi-automatic firearms and normal capacity magazines already approved by the House of Representatives by a large margin.
One egregious measure, however, has already met a timely end. House Bill 207 would have created an entirely new section of Virginia’s tax code dedicated solely to suppressors. If enacted, licensed firearms dealers would have been required to collect a $500 tax on every retail suppressor sale beginning July 1.
Fortunately, that measure was tabled by members of the House Finance Subcommittee, according to an X Post by Knox Williams, president of the American Suppressor Association (ASA).
“BREAKING: Virginia House bill 207—the bill imposing an egregious $500 tax on suppressors—has been unanimously tabled!” the ASA X post stated. “ASA President Knox Williams testified today, and now, we celebrate with you all. This is the power of the 2A community when we come together.”
In a video accompanying the post, Williams explained exactly what had taken place in the subcommittee hearing.
“I am on the ground in Richmond, Virginia,” he said. “I just got out of the House Finance Subcommittee hearing, where they heard House Bill 207, the bill that sought to impose a $500 tax on suppressors. The American suppressor Association was there to testify, and we worked with several other groups who provided expert testimony on the hearing and safety aspects of suppressors. And guess what: They tabled the bill!”
As Williams explained, tabling of the bill means it is essentially dead for the remainder of the current session, meaning Virginians have dodged at least one bullet fired by the Democrat-led legislature.
“We could not be more excited about that,” Williams continued. “Special thanks to the committee members for tabling that in a unanimous vote, by the way. This is a great day for suppressor owners in the state. This is a great day for all Americans, and it’s a great day for the Second Amendment.”
Ultimately, the proposed tax was a simple money grab that infringed Virginians’ Second Amendment rights. The tax would have applied to all civilian suppressor sales within the Commonwealth. Exemptions were limited to purchases by federal, state or local government agencies, as well as law enforcement officers acquiring suppressors for official duty use. Revenue generated by the tax would have been deposited into Virginia’s general fund, with no requirement that the money be used for public safety, law enforcement training or hearing-protection initiatives.
As Virginians celebrate the win on the suppressor tax bill, they must not forget about the numerous other anti-gun measures currently under consideration by the legislature—especially the sweeping gun and magazine ban that has now gone to the Senate and the proposal in both houses to levy an 11% “sin tax” on the sale of firearms and ammunition.
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