Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) is floating the idea of slapping taxes on gym memberships and streaming services, casually suggesting that if something’s reasonable and makes some amount of sense, it should be entertained. This comes amid Virginia’s ongoing budget woes, where politicians are eyeing every nook and cranny for revenue without touching the sacred cows like income or property taxes outright. Spanberger’s hint isn’t just idle chatter—it’s a trial balloon for selective sin taxes on modern conveniences, the kind that disproportionately hit middle-class folks who Netflix-and-chill or hit the treadmill to stay fit. Picture it: your Peloton subscription or Planet Fitness dues jacked up by 5-10%, all while the state pretends it’s about fairness.
But let’s zoom out for the 2A community, because this is where it gets spicy. Virginia’s gun owners have been battle-tested against incremental encroachments—think the post-2019 flip to Democrat control that brought red-flag laws, one-handgun-a-month limits, and assaults on carry rights. Spanberger’s gym tax flirtation is a microcosm of that playbook: start with harmless targets like your Disney+ bill to normalize revenue grabs, then pivot to funding the very bureaucracy that staffs ATF field offices or bolsters anti-gun NGOs. We’ve seen it before—California’s soda taxes morphed into broader nanny-state controls, and now imagine those gym fees subsidizing violence prevention programs that paint responsible carriers as threats. It’s not hyperbole; Virginia’s 2023 budget already funneled millions into mental health initiatives laced with gun-control rhetoric, and new taxes mean more cash for that machine.
The implication for 2A patriots? This is a rallying cry to flood Richmond with calls against any entertainment tax package—because once the precedent sticks, it’s a short hop to excise taxes on ammo sales or FFL transfer fees disguised as public safety fees. Spanberger’s crew knows Virginians cherish their fitness and downtime; taxing them is a tone-deaf overreach that could backfire spectacularly in purple districts. Stay vigilant, hit the range (tax-free, for now), and remind lawmakers: our rights aren’t negotiable, and neither should our wallets be. If they want revenue, cut the pork—not our subscriptions.
