US credit card giants said they will implement a new merchant category code for the nation’s gun retailers, which gun control activists say will help flag potential mass shooters and gun traffickers. The system will separately categorize sales at gun and ammunition stores, which advocates say can help track suspicious transactions of firearms and ammunition.
It is patently obvious why they want this. This data will be used to create a gun registry. Everyone who buys guns, ammo, accessories will be put on a list under this code, regardless of the fact that the majority of sales are made to responsible gun owners.
Visa’s adoption is significant as the largest payment network as Visa acts as a middleman between merchants and banks, and it will be up to banks to decide whether they will allow sales at gun stores to happen on their issued cards.
Here’s what’s happening.
CNN/MSN:
An international standards body has approved creation of a merchant code for gun retailers, a representative said on Friday, following pressure from activists who say it will help track suspicious weapons purchases.
At a meeting this week, a subcommittee of the International Organization for Standardization approved what is known as a “merchant category code” for firearms stores, a spokeswoman said.
The decision by the Geneva-based nonprofit was long sought by advocates of tighter gun regulation, such as US Senator Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats including New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
It clears the way for banks that process gun retailers’ payments to decide whether to assign the new code to merchants. The code would help monitors track where an individual spends money, but would not show what specific items were purchased.
The codes were requested of the Swiss body known as ISO by Amalgamated Bank of New York, which calls itself a socially responsible lender and investor.