Several major credit card companies are taking steps to track gun purchases in California with new codes, CBS News reported Monday.
American Express, Visa and Mastercard are working to implement merchant codes for firearms and ammunition retailers, CBS News report. They're doing this to comply with California law, which allows banks to monitor certain gun purchases deemed suspicious and send money to law enforcement, which Second Amendment advocates say is against this. (Related: Biden pushes for more gun control measures despite current agenda facing legal, Congressional pushback)
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According to CBS News, gun stores are now categorized as a variety of retailers, including sporting goods retailers. These credit card companies had previously agreed to create their own terms and conditions specifically for gun dealers, but they were cited by the Second Amendment as potentially infringing on the rights of lawful gun owners. The initiative was canceled due to resistance from supporters.
But gun control advocates hope the code will help prevent gun-related crimes by detecting suspicious purchases, according to CBS News. They compare this to how banks and credit unions notify law enforcement about identity theft and terrorist financing.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approved the provision in 2022, and California passed a law requiring firearms retailers to adopt the provision by May 2025, according to CBS News. Company executives sent a letter to Congressional Democrats saying they expect the code to be completed by then.
Seven Republican state legislatures have passed legislation banning the law, and nine more are considering doing the same, CBS News reports.
“If the government or credit card companies start requiring people to report certain purchasing patterns at gun stores to police, many innocent people could be exposed to charges, depending on the broadness of the standards.” said gun expert Stephen Gutowski, who founded Reload. he told the Daily Caller News Foundation after the approval.
Visa, American Express and Mastercard did not immediately respond to DCNF's requests for comment.
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