A tax exemption for firearm safety devices won’t kick in for about another three months after new gun laws in Michigan took effect this week, cutting short the anticipated timeline for providing gun owners tax relief on gun safes and lock boxes.
Michigan’s new safe storage requirement aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of children creates new criminal penalties when a minor injures or kills themselves or others with an unsecured firearm. The new law took effect this week, along with others, including new background check requirements and a red flag law enabling courts to temporarily take away guns from those posing an imminent threat to themselves or others.
Last year, lawmakers also approved a sales and use tax exemption for firearm safety devices. While the legislation received some GOP support, it did not garner enough Republican votes in the state Senate to take effect immediately after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed it into law. Technically, the sales exemption law took effect Tuesday. But the law says that the the tax exemption kicks in “90 days after the effective date” of the law with the exemptions expiring at the end of the year.