Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are rolling out a unique merchant code in California to monitor gun and gun-related purchases.
As reported by CBS News, the new merchant code will be utilized to adhere to a “California law that will allow banks to potentially track suspicious gun purchases and report them to law enforcement.”
This follows a sequence of events where major credit card companies first adopted, and then reversed plans to utilize a new merchant code to track gun and gun-related purchases nationally.
On September 11, 2022, it was reported that Visa caved to pressure from gun control groups and New York Democrats, agreeing to flag gun and ammo purchases via a merchant code. The Associated Press observed that Mastercard and other major credit card companies also agreed to flag gun sales.
On March 2, 2023, it was reported that Discover was slated to begin tracking gun and ammunition purchases with the new merchant category code (MCC) in April 2023. This news created a feeling of momentum for the left, countered by a wave of pushback among conservatives.
On March 9, 2023, it was reported that Visa and Mastercard pivoted amidst the pushback and announced they would not begin tracking gun and ammunition purchases anytime soon.
However, the major credit card companies have shifted their strategy and intend to implement a specific merchant code to monitor sales involving guns and gun-related items, in accordance with a recent California legislation.
The Washington Examiner pointed out that this law will take effect in 2025.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) commented on the plan to track gun purchases.
“Once again, credit card companies are attempting to track the information of lawful gun owners. This is yet another egregious ATTACK by the Far Left on Americans’ Second Amendment rights to bear arms,” he wrote on X (Twitter).
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