California’s Latest Move: Tracking Your Gun Purchases Through Credit Cards!

California, a deep-blue state, is now tracking the credit card purchases of lawful citizens who buy firearms from gun stores, reflecting the state's strong stance against the Second Amendment. According to Law Enforcement Today (LET), which cited the Associated Press (AP), California became the first state to implement a Merchant Category Code (MCC) for gun retailers under a new law that took effect on July 1. This law requires credit card networks to provide banks with these MCCs to monitor gun store sales.

Previously, stores selling firearms were grouped with other retailers in broad MCC categories, such as sporting goods stores or miscellaneous and specialty retail shops, as noted by the AP.

The idea for this system was initially promoted by New York Times journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin, who argued that financial pressure could be leveraged to push credit card companies to deny lawful gun sales. Amalgamated Bank, based in New York, supported the idea and successfully pressured the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to adopt a specific MCC for firearm dealers.

"The MCC is the first step in the banking system's stance against gun crimes, signaling that 'we're putting our foot down, and you cannot use our system to facilitate gun crimes,'" said Hudson Munoz, executive director of the nonprofit Guns Down America. He pointed out that credit cards have been used to purchase weapons and ammunition later involved in some of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States.

However, there has been a shift in momentum in favor of Second Amendment supporters, as some leaders have announced a "pause" in the MCC implementation.

While California leads the way with this new code, other states like Colorado and New York have passed similar laws to accelerate MCC implementation. In contrast, states such as Georgia, Iowa, and Tennessee have banned the use of MCCs for gun stores.

"This is just the first step by gun control advocates to restrict lawful firearm commerce," stated Larry Keane, Senior Vice President of the National Shooting Sports Federation. He also highlighted a recent data breach that exposed the private information of concealed carry permit holders in California.

Keane continued, "There’s no doubt that the gun control activists in California can’t be trusted with the sensitive and private information of law-abiding gun owners. Starting July 1, anti-gun proponents like Gov. Gavin Newsom, AG Bonta, and others will have even more access to private data on law-abiding Californians exercising their Second Amendment rights. The potential consequences in a state like California are deeply concerning."

Some gun stores have responded to the new law by installing ATMs, allowing customers to use cash for gun purchases, which banks cannot track. For instance, gun store owner Dan Eldridge installed an ATM in his suburban Chicago business.

"At best, this code is an attempt to stigmatize gun owners," Eldridge told AP. "But the more troubling issue is that it represents another private sector workaround to the prohibition against the federal government creating a gun registry."