More tax-free firearms

It's getting close to that special time of the year. No, not Thanksgiving, but the weekend after. That's when South Carolina celebrates what the Legislature has designated as "Second Amendment Weekend." That's when firearms can be purchased tax free in the Palmetto State, thanks to the largesse of our lawmakers.

It will be the second consecutive year that the Legislature has singled out firearms for tax-free treatment.

South Carolina is the only state in the nation that has a tax-free weekend for gun sales. (Louisiana has a tax-free weekend for hunting guns.)

The Legislature reimposed the tax-free weekend this year after the Supreme Court invalidated the 2008 tax break because it was bobtailed onto another bill, in violation of the state Constitution.

The tax break didn't cost much in lost revenue last year -- an estimated $15,000. But its approval during the most difficult budget years in memory says something about legislative priorities.

Be forewarned, though. You still have to pay taxes on your ammunition and other gun-related paraphernalia. The tax-free weekend begins on Friday at midnight. There must be some likely lawmaker willing to pull the trigger on a starting pistol from the Statehouse steps at the stroke of 12.