Why Is Sen. Blackwell Pushing New Federal Taxes?

Mississippi Shouldn’t Be Asking for More Gun Taxes

Most Mississippians expect Republicans to fight taxes—especially federal taxes. So it should come as no surprise that people are scratching their heads when a self-described “Republican” senator in Jackson is doing the exact opposite: asking Washington, D.C. to tax us more.

That is precisely what MS SR6 does, and it is indefensible for anyone who claims to believe in limited government, free markets, or conservative principles.

MS SR6 is not harmless. It is a formal request from Mississippi lawmakers urging Congress to impose a new federal excise tax on airguns and airbows by rolling them into the Pittman-Robertson Act. That 1937 law already taxes firearms and ammunition. Now, instead of pushing back against federal overreach, this resolution invites it—cheerleading for Washington to expand its tax authority yet again.

Let’s be clear: no one in Jackson was elected to lobby for higher federal taxes.

Supporters hide behind the usual talking points: “It’s for conservation” and “It’s only a small tax.” But Republicans are supposed to know better. Every tax starts small. Every expansion is “reasonable.” And every time government reaches for a new revenue stream, it rarely lets go.

Airguns and airbows are not traditional firearms. They are affordable, low-noise, low-recoil tools used by families, young shooters, retirees, and disabled hunters. They are often the entry point into shooting sports for kids and beginners. They are also a growing area of American innovation, supported largely by small manufacturers and local retailers—not corporate giants who can easily absorb new compliance costs.

MS SR6 would make those products more expensive overnight.

Higher prices mean fewer families buying starter equipment, fewer youth programs able to participate, and fewer adaptive options for hunters who rely on air-powered alternatives. Small businesses take the hit first. Innovation slows. Choice disappears. And for what? So Mississippi politicians can help Congress find a new excuse to take more money from Mississippians’ pockets?

If a Democrat proposed this, at least it would be ideologically honest. But when a Republican does it, voters are right to ask: whose side are you on?

Conservation does not require expanding federal taxation. Mississippians already support wildlife and habitat through licenses, private donations, land stewardship, and voluntary conservation groups. That approach respects freedom. A federal tax assumes government knows better than citizens how their money should be spent—and that is not a conservative principle.

Even worse, MS SR6 sets a dangerous precedent. Once lawmakers decide every new or growing product category should be taxed “for a good cause,” there is no limiting principle left. Today it’s airguns and airbows. Tomorrow it’s something else. That is how limited government quietly dies—not with one massive tax hike, but with a series of “modest” expansions nobody was supposed to notice.

Mississippi does not need to beg Washington for more power, more money, or more control. And Republicans certainly should not be leading that charge.

If your state senator claims to be a Republican but supports MS SR6, call them out—respectfully but firmly. Tell them conservatives do not ask for new federal taxes. Tell them conservation does not require surrendering principles. And tell them Mississippi deserves representation that actually acts like it believes in limited government, not just campaigns on it.