MCCs are used by payment processors (like Visa and Mastercard) and other financial services companies to categorize transactions. Prior to the creation of the specific code for guns, firearms retailers fell under the MCC for sporting goods stores or miscellaneous retail.
“For practical purposes, collecting firearms retailer financial transaction data amounts to surveillance and registration of law-abiding gun owners,” NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action stated in a recent news bulletin. “Those promoting this scheme are in favor of firearm and gun owner registrations.”
In Georgia, House Bill 1018, authored by Republican state Rep. Jason Ridley, prohibits the use of firearm/ammunition specific merchant category codes by payment processors.
The bill specifically states: “It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any financial institution to require the usage of a firearms code in a way that distinguishes a firearms retailer that is physically located in this state from general merchandise retailers or sporting goods retailers.” It further states: “It shall be unlawful for any financial institution to discriminate against a firearms retailer by declining a lawful payment card transaction based solely on the assignment or non-assignment of a firearms code; provided, however, that a financial institution may decline or otherwise refuse to process a payment card transaction on the basis of a firearms code if such action is requested by the customer or is the result of fraud prevention procedures or merchant category exclusions offered by the financial institution for the purpose of expenditure control or corporate payment card control.”
Similar legislation is currently also under consideration in two other states—Kentucky and Wisconsin.
In Kentucky, Republican Reps. Derek Lewis and Michael Meredith have introduced House Bill 357. The bill is very similar to the Georgia measure, and also includes language for prosecution: “The Attorney General shall pursue, in a court of competent jurisdiction, an injunction against any person, public or private, that fails to comply with…this section.”
In Wisconsin, both the State Assembly and Senate have already passed Senate Bill 466. The measure is now headed to Gov. Tony Evers for consideration.
One nice thing about living in Minnesota is not having to check if our a.g., gov, house, and congress are signing on to this bill… as a 3 D-run state, none of this would even be looked at. I can’t wait until my wife retires and we can get the hell as far away from here as possible to somewhere sane.
[California has entered the chat]
Entered? Hell, we danced in sideways waving rainbow colored flags.
That’s hilarious, and sad, both at the same time. It’s gotta turn for the better one of these days.
That isn’t even a good start toward a good idea. Simply outlaw the MCCs altogether. Seriously, it is none of Mastercard’s BUSINESS WTF I am purchasing. Their only business is transferring MY FUNDS to the store owner. Anything above and beyond that transfer is data mining. Mastercard doesn’t pay me for my information, the entitled snowflakes don’t need that information.
That is, until a fraudulent charge shows up on your monthly statement. without the codes, you would not know what was bought and thus be able to identify it as a fraud.
The MCC doesn’t tell you what was bought. The same MCC is sent if you go to Walmart and buy a TV as it would be for buying a bag of chips or a gift card. It tells you what sort of business the merchant is, which you can get by Googling them.
With the code on your statement, they can look up the purchase, and ask you if you bought a so and so. Been there, done that.
You’d be surprised how often this type of data mining occurs. My family used to own a carwash with detail and Express lube center. Carfax harassed us multiple times a year wanting access to our customer data to put in their reports that have to be paid for. I said, either pay me for the information or you get nothing. They won’t pay for the info, but most shops are run by idiots who freely give carfax that info so they can turn around and charge your customers for the same info later on. No thanks.
We don’t give them anything either. A Carfax rep once admitted that we would have to pay, since sending them customer data amounts to advertising for our shop on their reports. I’ve had only one customer in nearly 13 years of business who walked away because we don’t report Customer data to Carfax. He felt it would hurt the resale value of his Hyundai, if our repair wasn’t on his vehicle report. *snicker*
Just another control ploy by the left.
It is none of their damn business how “we the people” spend our money.
Of all the BATF products, are there Merchant Category Codes (MCC) for alcohol or tobacco, or only for firearms?
I’d like to see the uproar from the Left if they created a new MCC for LGBTQ bars and nightclubs, LGBTQ-related products and services, gender-change products and services, abortion providers, birth-control devices, green and purple hair dye, body piercing, or any of the Left’s favorite items. They’d scream “invasion of privacy!”
They are for every type of store.
Flashback: May 12, 2023 —
“Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed bills that push back against the possibility of a federal central-bank digital currency and seek to prevent credit-card companies from tracking firearm and ammunition sales.”
This comment won’t even make it through to be posted if I include the link to that story.
Not “your comment is in moderation” — it just won’t allow me to post it at all.
If you make an on-line purchase in one of these states, (which would then require shipment to an FFL in your own state for the transfer) it would seem that the details of your transaction would be protected – assuming they obey the new laws.
This might be a benefit for the FFLs in these states to increase their business from customers in non-protected states.
Maybe an update to the marketing materials?
“Shop here, your transaction data is SAFE!!”
Cash.
Until we cant.
As Bob and Ray used to say, “Cash comes in a beautiful green color, it’s easy to the touch and transfers easily.
Use cash every day it’s the American way.”
Well I just had a background check for ammo in Indiana. Because ILLANNOY. One shop doesn’t care. Another goes nuts. I suppose because they have a sister gun shop in Illinois. Guess what? I’ll never go there again. Sheepdog in Dyer,Indiana. And Monee,Illinois. At least Cabelas only looks at your FOID. And another Indiana shop has never checked my ID for ammo🙄 Oh NEVER use a credit card to buy guns n ammo. Or a debit.
In California it doesn’t matter how you pay, all of the pertinent information for guns and ammo is sent to the state–in detail.
I protect my credit card purchases by not using one however it seems the system is determined to restrict purchases by cash.
Eventually hard currency will be eliminated and then we’ll be fcked.
HackerBankRobbers and .giv spyware.
One steals your money and the other your Freedom.
Modern Monetary Theory is no longer just a theory.
Biden wants to get rid of the dollar and go virtual. No thanks, I like the feeling of a wad of cash in my hand
RE: “The bill specifically states: “It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any financial institution to require the usage of a firearms code in a way that distinguishes a firearms retailer that is physically located in this state from general merchandise retailers or sporting goods retailers.” It further states: “It shall be unlawful for any financial institution to discriminate against a firearms retailer by declining a lawful payment”
Unfortunately the words discrimatory and discriminate are alive and well with some on this forum…you know who you are.
Unfortunately, the gov’t doesn’t obey it’s own rules. This is quite clear with the issues at the southern border. However, we know that the ATF routinely uses 4473 information in a manner prohibited by law. Our gov’t has basically reached a point where it is becoming destructive to its own ends.
cash only. that is, until I’m forced to barter with gold and silver.
“Hey, will ya take a half a gold bar for that bag o potato chips ?”
“Sure will, but you’d better grab two cuz we dont make change “
Went to Great American Outdoor Show last week in Harrisburg Pa. Every single FOOD VENDOR had signs up, “credit cards only “. Oops, sorry peanut vendor took both cash and credit, sorry about that.
Can’t even purchase firearms at this show.
I get it, perhaps they wanted to ensure that none of the vendor helpers were skimming off the top on the proceeds,,,,,, but isn’t cash supposed to be valid for ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE” like it says on the paper money?
I understand during the pandemic there MAY have been some over reactions to handling money, but that’s over.
I can’t help wondering if this was a way to track people who attended the event, which is almost exclusively folks who JUST HAPPEN to be 2A supporters,,,,,,, etc.
I used to think there was a law that said places were REQUIRED to accept cash, I guess either I was wrong or it has changed since I was much younger.
Ahhh, I’m old, maybe too old to think straight……… I dunno.
I haven’t been to GAOS in YEARS, but wasn’t it always more of an industry show like SHOT where it’s more of a showcase than a sale?
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