Visa, Mastercard put tracking of gun shop purchases on hold

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

Visa and Mastercard paused their decision to start categorizing purchases at gun shops, a significant win for conservative groups and Second Amendment advocates who felt tracking gun shop purchases would inadvertently discriminate against legal firearms purchases. The move is a setback for gun control groups.

They say categorizing credit and debit card purchases might help authorities see potential red flags — like significant ammunition purchases — before a mass shooting could be carried out. After Visa and Mastercard announced their plans to implement a separate merchant category code for gun shop purchases, the payment networks got significant pushback from the gun lobby as well as conservative politicians.

A group of 24 GOP state attorneys general wrote a letter to the payment networks threatening legal action against them if they moved forward with their plan. There are also bills pending in several state legislatures that would ban the tracking of purchases at gun shops. That would have made it even more difficult for Visa and Mastercard to implement the categorization.

In a statement, Visa indicated that the legal pushback was partially the reason it paused the implementation. "There is now significant confusion and legal uncertainty in the payments ecosystem, and the state actions disrupt the intent of global standards," the company said.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/visa-mastercard-gun-shop-purchases-tracking-pause/

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. The Federal government banning using credit for firearm/ammo purchases

would be a very effective and sensible gun control measure, for a whole bunch of reasons.

Of course it wouldn't survive this SCOTUS, but I think it could really help if it could be pulled off.

[Marthe48]

6. I thought of cash only, too

If I go to the liquor store, they don't accept personal checks for liquor. If I use a credit card to buy booze, they add a fee on top of the cost. At this place, I can buy beer at the carry out window, but I can't buy hard liquor.

If I buy booze online, well, I can't, if it is shipped to Ohio. I can buy wine online.

In another vein, Parkersburg or Vienna WV city council are working on an ordinance limiting the number of hens (chickens) a property owner can have on their lot. But are they going to regulate the big chicken farmers? Hell no.

Everything middle and lower classes want to buy or have is regulated. But not guns.

EDITEd to add: Well, if the r's don't want gun purchases by credit card tracked, allow the gun sellers to slap a fee on top of the gun/ammo purchase and maybe the credit card companies can track that extra fee. Is that against the 2nd amendment?

[James48]

20. The credit card companies already allow extra fees.

That rule changed a few years ago- credit cards already allow merchants to charge a fee. Most gun stores charge a 4% fee for credit cards.

[oldsoftie]

8. If you start doing that, then wait till republicans are in charge again

You wont be able to use your credit card for an abortion, or brith control pills or a litany of other things they dont think we should be able to do.
Now if a CC company decided THEY didnt want to do it, that would be different since they're a private company. Even then there may be some claim of discrimination possible. I dont know.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

11. Well, I guess we can't have ANY kind of gun control measures

Because the GQP will likely retaliate and do the same with women's health services and medications

Oh, wait, they are already doing that anyway, see Hobbs.

[The Mouth]

16. I don't think you can make it any harder to get a gun/ammo

than it is to register and vote.

At least that's what I read into their last couple of opinions.

I believe there are several suits going through to challenge the fees for getting a permit under just this rationalization; you can't unreasonably charge for or otherwise impede the use of a Constitutional right, be it assembly, voting, or RKBA. At least that seems to be the reasoning.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

18. Yeah, I reckon a move like that wouldn't pass muster

I still think it'd be a big help to society. Esp. with suicides, but also w/gun violence.

If you're gonna do a shooting where you expect (or plan) to die, might as well use credit, right? Leave your cash to your family?

It's what I'd call 'common sense'.

[CrispyQ]

2. WTF? They track everything else we buy.

I would think law enforcement would be in favor of this type of reporting, & also a bigger voice in favor of gun regs. ???

[mpcamb]

3. Visa:"There is now significant confusion and legal uncertainty...:

"in the payments ecosystem"

But not in the upcoming deaths from untraced guns. There's certainty there.

[Marthe48]

4. My credit cards already itemize my purchases

Nobody bitches about gas purchases being itemized. I thought it was a good way for me to track what is keeping my balance up. But, r's must keep their private army armed and dangerous.

[Grins]

5. Change tracking "gun shop purchases" with....

....stores that "sex toys" and clothing and - no problem!

Right, Mr. Cruz...?

[Initech]

10. To quote one of my favorite bands and albums:

"Selling skin, selling god, the numbers look the same on your credit cards" - Queensryche, Operation:Mindcrime

True when it was written in 1988 and true today!

[ZZenith]

12. "I remember now...

I remember how it started
I can't remember yesterday
I just remember doing what they told me“

[Initech]

13. That album is an absolute classic!

I've listened to it hundreds of times and even seen it performed live in its' entirety twice. So good.

[Mosby]

7. Moral cowards.

What else is new.

[Initech]

9. Stupid gun nut assholes. They ruin everything.

[Bayard]

14. It never ends

One more political item to use against rethuglicans in 2024.

In the mean time, more mass shootings every day.

[Evolve Dammit]

15. Will make it harder for law enforcement I would imagine. Large purchases, etc.

[EX500rider]

17. Not really sure how it would help

You only need one firearm and 100 rounds of ammo +- to commit a mass shooting.
That's a pretty low bar to raise a red flag, there would be millions of them.

[yagotme]

21. Buy a gun on Monday.

Buy 20 rds of ammo a day for the rest of the week. Pick up your gun the next Mon. You now have a gun and 100 rounds of ammo. No flags.

[EX500rider]

22. Well flagging even 100 rounds would set off millions of flags

Some ammo comes in 100r bricks, and when I buy surplus ammo for my antique Mosin Nagant's it comes in 480 round ammo cans of 7.62x54R.
Even a slow day at the range is usually 100+ rounds.

[yagotme]

23. I know this well.

500 rds in a brick of .22's, which in the golden days of shooting, would last a few hours at the range. I was going for the extreme of grabbers wanting to flag even relatively small purchases of ammo, and how easy it is to get around even that.

[Lonestarblue]

19. Yet it's perfectly fine for Republicans to track women's menstrual cycles.

Florida was all set to require teenage girls to report on their periods to their schools but got too much pushback to implement it. In Virginia, Youngkin just vetoed a bill banning search warrants for menstrual data on a tracking app, thus allowing police to probe into a woman’s most personal life.

These people are just vile.