Indiana and Utah join seven other states in passing laws banning the use of codes to track firearms and ammunition sales.
Two more governors have approved bills that prohibit credit card companies from tracking gun sales in their respective states, with a firearm industry trade association spokesman suggesting this proves ongoing efforts to restrict Second Amendment rights are “not going to be tolerated any longer.”
On March 13, Indiana Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb approved HB 1084 (pdf) and Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox approved HB 406. Both measures prohibit the use of a merchant category code (MCC) to track the purchase of firearms and ammunition.
Indiana and Utah join seven other states in passing laws banning the use of MCCs to track firearms and ammunition sales in their respective jurisdictions.
MCCs are four-digit numbers established by the Switzerland-based International Organization of Standardization (IOS) that identify a type of business and the kind of goods or services it provides. The codes are assigned to businesses by credit card companies and can affect the fees a card user is charged for credit card purchases.
The firearms and ammunition-specific MCC (5723) was created by the IOS on Sept. 9, 2022, in response to a petition from New York-based Amalgamated Bank, which says it supports “hundreds of progressive political organizations, campaigns, and candidates.”
Amalgamated Bank President and CEO Priscilla Sims Brown said, “We all have to do our part to stop gun violence, and it sometimes starts with illegal purchases of guns and ammunition.”
“The new code will allow us to fully comply with our duty to report suspicious activity and illegal gun sales to authorities without blocking or impeding legal gun sales,” she said.
Concern Over Tracking
However, the announcement was immediately met with a flurry of bills in West Virginia, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, Florida, Montana, and Texas, drafted specifically to block the new MCC effort in their respective jurisdictions.
Mark Oliva is the managing director for public affairs with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). With more states feeling the need to protect their citizens from efforts to track their weapons and ammunition purchases, he believes Americans have cause for concern.
