Florida Bans Use of Credit Card Tracking Codes for Firearm Purchases

By
Dan Zimmerman
-
60

There’s been a movement among massive credit card companies to basically monitor the transactions of firearm retailers and individual consumers through unique codes that they’re calling merchant category codes or MCCs for short. And so this is a new code. It only applies to either retailers that sell firearms or consumers that purchase…and it’s not even really limited to that.

Because as you know, there are sporting good stores that sell firearms. They also sell a bunch of other stuff. You could be buying sporting goods for your kid’s athletics…so you go in and do that, they can tag you or flag you as being somebody that somehow should be looked at.

And that’s just fundamentally wrong. So we believe that whole idea of MCCs is very political. We think it’s going to be used against people for exercising their basic constitutional rights.

So you had a movement in the legislature. You had commissioner Simpson, a lot of people understood this. And I said ‘I’m very supportive of making sure that this is not allowed in the state of Florida.’

So the second bill we’ll sign will prohibit the use of firearm-specific MCC codes and we’ll be the first state in the country to step up to the plate and prohibit these massive financial institutions from collecting date on you, flagging you, just for bascically exercising your right.

I mean, if you go and buy ammunition for your firearms and then you go to one of these shooting ranges, should you be flagged for doing that? I don’t think so. So in the state of Florida, you will not be flagged for doing it.

— Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

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60 COMMENTS

  1. You know how I fixed this problem? I removed Discover from my store and I made sure Discover knew about it. Sure, I’m not a big threat to them, but every little bit adds up.

    • Every little bit helps. If all LGS’s and chains like Cabelas did the same they might have to listen.

      • My Cabelas in Fort Worth has a huge hunting scene mural with ‘NSSF’ prominently displayed on it.
        Told a few employees in the firearm dept that as long as the NSSF supports scum like Cornyn, and that logo remains on prominent display in their store, I’ll go elsewhere.

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    • “every little bit adds up”

      It can. We need to be more organized about this like the left. The Transweiser ban made an impact. It put other corporations on notice. Don’t listen to idiots like Hannity. That’s why we lose. (He’s against bans or you could say he’s for sponsorships.) Keep it up. We can incentivize their behavior instead of allowing leftist propaganda to permeate every facet of our lives.

      I was at a gas station a couple of weeks ago behind someone buying Coors Light. The cashier said, “Coors Light?” as in why? He said he was done with Bud Light. Last week I was behind a guy buying Miller Lite. I asked him if they were out of Bud Light. He laughed, and said that’s funny.

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    • I agree with the sentiment of voting with your dollars, however, the primary responsibility of government is the protection of individual liberty.

      This is exactly why we have instituted government among men – to protect our rights from those that would infringe upon them.

  2. Fight all who oppose freedom; woke idiots, Communist, gun grabbing Moms scared of inanimate objects, and morons who rather be victims than resist tyranny.

  3. That’s nice Gov, but NOT one of my main concerns so, now how about we finish the job on Constitutional Carry (you know, that pesky open carry thing?) before you run off and TRY to take on Trump for POTUS (good luck with that)…

    • Maxx. Just from what I read and see from DeSantis and his people. I doubt he is seriously running for Pres. at this time. What I’m seeing is a run for the VP spot with designs on 2028 for Pres. Just a guess and I could be wrong.
      Problem with Trump is the media hatred and the constant “Orange Man Bad” drive from them.
      I personally dislike Trump the man. But, Support most of his policies and support his efforts in bringing down the entrenched Bureaucracy and especially the Marxists and idiot Rino’s.

      • I think DeSantis is too much of an alpha to want the VP. The candidates looking for a VP spot are the ones that aren’t hitting Trump right now. That would probably be Haley, Noem, and Elder.

        • Haley would be the best pick, with her experience as sec. state.

          A DeSantis-Haley ticket would be strong…

        • Haley with her experience as sec. state.

          ????… Must have missed the part where she quit her UN gig and took over Pompeo’s job… Six years as gov, 2 yrs at UN… I don’t like her, something just not right, she has nothing to add to ANY ticket and she DID turn on Trump… Elder (the “Black face of White Supremacy”) could be problematic as well… Noem? Maybe, we’ll see…

        • After 4 years of Jim Crow Gun Control democRat joe wrecking America it’s certainly no time for cutsey time with a Desantis-Haley ticket.

          Anyone who suggests such a ticket obviously has caved to years of concocted marxist media propaganda against POTUS DJT.

          POTUS DJT got DeSantis elected. I guess geoff the old sht for brains who praises a Desantis-Haley ticket forgot that when he said POTUS DJT should have a heart attack.

        • “POTUS DJT got DeSantis elected.”

          So he says. As a FL resident I can tell you that Trump’s endorsement may have turned off more voters than DeSantis gained from his endorsement. When you compared Gillum and DeSantis on their merits, that election shouldn’t have been as close a contest as it was.

        • I think Larry would be an awesome VP just think how many heads will xplode with a DJT/LE ticket! Orange and Black don’t look back!

        • Let’s see, is that the same Larry Elder that LOST by nearly 40% of the vote to an asshole who had just been RECALLED? Maybe Tim Scott, but Elder?

        • I’m not saying anyone in particular should be a nominee. I’m just saying the ones looking for that aren’t going against Trump right now. The ones hitting Trump hard either think they have a shot at being the presidential nominee, or they’re just working for the establishment, like Cheney.

        • I’d rather see a Trump-Lake ticket.

          Haley is swamp. She loves that pack of pedophiles called Disney.

    • If DeSantis is that serious he would also get rid of the red flag laws that were passed after a school shooting down there.

    • Regarding passing CC, RDS isn’t a legislator. It’s not his fault that there are RINOs in the state legislature.

      • DeSantis spent 6 years in the US House of Representatives and now on his second term as Gov… Probably knows just about as much about “legislating” as anyone needs to know… Yes the RINOs are strong here, they must go…

    • Trump is pro gun control. Desantis is very much pro gun.

      I really don’t care about how or why. It’s quite simple and that issue alone translates into all other issues. The choice is simple. I happily voted for Trump until he got very wavy on the 2A.

      • He’s not the strongest 2A advocate ever, but he did prove he’s very good at naming justices. Presidents come and go but the supreme court casts a shadow generations long.

  4. I would be interested to hear the credit card companies response and also SPECIFICALLY how this will be enforced.

  5. Neat.
    Everybody knows they’re still doing it anyway, right?

    There is no data point that’s not being logged.

    • Can’t even LOOK at something on the internet without getting 50 emails trying to sell it to you..

      • I looked up an 0.80 roll tap at work not too long ago and I get ads for them all the time now. I work for a company with extremely tight firewalls and am surprised that these ads keep popping up.

        • Check the cookies.

          Much of this is done via script. This is the same sorta thing that plagues THIS website with multitudes to stupid if not crazy ads for nonsense. There are ways of filtering that can produced various levels of success but the fact that websites do this is the single biggest problem. It’s done for the advertising revenue and for SEO.

        • Use Firefox, and the add-on to get is called ‘Cookie auto Delete’.

          NoScript is another powerful Firefox add-on, along with Adblock Plus.

          Firefox as a browser is *highly* configurable, and can be tightened up to eliminate the majority of the crap online…

    • You need to have data for it to be collected. Without a code saying “this store sells guns” they are not going to have that direct data. Sure, a government agency could cross-check the address with FFL records but that’s not the main problem here, because there are still SOME limits on the government under the constitution, to the consternation of many liberals.

      This helps with what has been happening recently, where the left tries to use corporations to take the place of government while ignoring the 2nd amendment. 100% that credit card companies would have eventually used this info either against customers or businesses. Now they don’t have it directly. And that makes things a lot harder and more expensive to do. That’s good because businesses have a harder time justifying things that are expensive.

  6. Well when you have zipped lipped Gun Owners talking Historical Analogies and refuse to Define Gun Control according to its Historical Definition and you have sht for brains Gun Owners bad mouthing DJT and his voters and hoping DJT has a heart attack it is easy to see why those in corporate ivory towers would believe their sneaky, backdoor Gun Control is a good thing to do. And to undo such good Gun Control crap that should have never happened those pulling the wagon have to spend time and money trying to clean it up.

  7. Simple solution would be if possible pay cash and buy what you need before the Marxists force through the digital dollar crap.
    Never commit anything to paper or electronic record anything you don’t want known.
    And, if you can, buy privately. No, not illegally, just from a private owner if possible.
    Seems it might be a good idea to limit any paper or electronic trail if possible.
    CC and Debit card companies have no business or justifiable need to track purchases of law abiding consumers.

  8. “Simple solution would be if possible pay cash and buy what you need before the Marxists force through the digital dollar crap…”

    Typical “solution” that throws future generations under the bus to maintain your own “security” for the short term. When someone like DeSantis, or DJT, or anyone, anywhere, seeks to try to stop or hold off the horde of would-be tyrants, we should offer them support in their efforts and offer even more for what they might attempt in the future.

    Those of us who were fairly active way back in the late 1960s-1980s know that what we are battling came about over a long time span, finally beginning to really turn the tide in the mid-1990s. The way back requires much time, effort and money- having our own mocking such efforts or being concerned only with themselves merely plays into the anti’s hands and causes division and dropping out by those who would choose freedom.

    • For as long as it is an option yes this is the best especially when you do not have your cell phone on you and your car is pre 06/07 area for the on board gps trackers. Never underestimate private sector data collection in some ways it’s more pervasive than the government’s

  11. Questionable how much this was motivated by financial organizations (as DeSantis claims) vs. the gun ban lobby.

    –Credit card companies have historically shown little appetite to take on such measures. (“We do not believe Visa should be in the position of setting restrictions on the sale of lawful goods or services,” a Visa spokesperson told the Times in 2018. “Asking Visa or other payment networks to arbitrate what legal goods can be purchased sets a dangerous precedent.”)–

    https://www.npr.org/2022/09/15/1123059843/credit-card-code-gun-sales-visa-mastercard-american-exrpess

    • “”Nationwide, the three major credit card companies, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, have said they will categorize sales at gun shops separately.

      Advocates said that would make it easier for them to monitor suspicious behavior. A lot of things you buy have their own categories, for example, shoe-shine places or sporting goods stores, but not gun stores. …

      “A release from the Governor’s Office also mentioned that three major credit card companies have said the merchant category codes would allow them to manage risk and combat gun violence by tracking the customers’ behavior. The governor said that’s an outreach and not ok when it comes to customer privacy.” — https://winknews.com/2023/05/12/mixed-reaction-over-bill-stopping-credit-car-companies-from-tracking-gun-and-ammo-purchases/

      • Gun stores are sporting goods stores, full stop.

        If they think reporting civil rights protected purchases is just fine, ask them if they will like their internet destinations logged for police inspection.

        Just tell them – After all, if they’re not doing anything wrong, they have nothing to worry about. Library check-out records as well…

        Right?

      • “It might make it difficult for law enforcement agencies to track individuals who do things that are wrong,” resident Robin Weaving said.

        With their own words…
        The idea is to track criminals, NOT to keep them behind bars.

  12. As I previously stated on TTAG the “much hated Law & Order Republicans” are coming back. I look forward to the pro-criminal and cop-hating Libertarians, liberals, and leftists, to make their case.
    Since they supported the order for the police to stand down and do nothing. While American cities were burned to the ground. And innocent people were murdered were they stood.

    These are the same people who refuse to call for the repeal of laws that are protecting criminals, against the use of righteous violence by property owners and the law abiding.

    A million dollars has been raised to pay for Mr Penny’s lawyers. And we will see if the Three L’s support stopping people from donating to his self-defense costs. Just like they supported stopping people from donating money to Kyle Rittenhouse’s defense. Just like the 3 L’s supported stopping people from donating to the Canadian Truckers.

    Just like they supported the private billion dollar tech companies, preventing you from being able to communicate with anyone you wanted to. They supported the Private Banks stopping gun companies for being able to communicate with their suppliers and customers. They supported the banks stopping you for being able to conduct your private business activities in general.

    “Gov. DeSantis praises chokehold Marine Daniel Penny: ‘America’s got his back’”

    https://nypost.com/2023/05/13/gov-desantis-praises-chokehold-marine-daniel-penny/

      • The righteous use of violence by the law abiding or the police is not pretty. And it is never pretty. But it must be done. And the people who hate the use of righteous violence, will describe it in any negative way they possibly can.

  13. No they didnt. They are still tracking everything you buy not just gunms.
    Gunms, hair dye, and rubber gloves.. ping ping

  14. WARNING: Don’t ever use a business account credit card for anything other than business purchases. The reason is that, while ordinary consumer cards don’t give any merchant details other than name and merchant category, many business account cards record everything down to the stock keeping unit (SKU). Your consumer statement tells you only that you spent X dollars at Y merchant on Z date. The business statement lists each item purchased by each issued card. So, BEWARE.

  15. Though good legislation Bush-backed Rohn McRomney has no chance against “The Trump”.

  16. @zerofoo
    “Firefox is “woke”. Use it at your own risk.”

    Any significant technology company is “woke”, because it is filled with adult children who insist on remaining children.

    It’s here, it’s queer, and it ain’t going shopping.

    Proceed at your own risk.

Comments are closed.