{"id":281,"date":"2022-09-24T15:19:35","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T15:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guncoupons.net\/?p=281"},"modified":"2022-09-24T15:19:35","modified_gmt":"2022-09-24T15:19:35","slug":"gun-control-reveals-merchant-code-is-steppingstone-to-watchlists-and-bans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guncoupons.net\/?p=281","title":{"rendered":"Gun Control Reveals Merchant Code Is Steppingstone to Watchlists and Bans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"breadcrumbs\"><span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/\">Home<\/a> \u00bb <span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/category\/news\/\">News<\/a> \u00bb <span class=\"breadcrumb_last\" aria-current=\"page\">Gun Control Reveals Merchant Code Is Steppingstone to Watchlists and Bans<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>Last week, The Shooter\u2019s Log brought you the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/gun-news-is-the-government-creating-backdoor-gun-registries-using-amnesty-credit-cards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">story<\/a> of how banks and credit card processors are collaborating to create merchant codes specifically to track purchases made from retailers of guns and ammunition. Some feared the worst and others thought it was tantamount to making a mountain out of a molehill. It seems we were right to be concerned. The following is from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>Gun control groups are pulling back the curtain to reveal that their plan to add a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cheaperthandirt.com\/firearms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">firearm<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cheaperthandirt.com\/ammunition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ammunition<\/a>-specific Merchant Category Code (MCC) for gun retailers isn\u2019t about tracking guns. It\u2019s about tracking you.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"432\" height=\"285\" alt=\"National Shooting Sports Foundation Logo\" class=\"wp-image-41803 jetpack-lazy-image\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/NSSF_Logo_noback-20.jpg?w=432&amp;ssl=1 432w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/NSSF_Logo_noback-20.jpg?resize=300%2C198&amp;ssl=1 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/NSSF_Logo_noback-20.jpg?resize=432%2C285&amp;is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"432\" height=\"285\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/NSSF_Logo_noback-20.jpg?resize=432%2C285&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"National Shooting Sports Foundation Logo\" class=\"wp-image-41803\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/NSSF_Logo_noback-20.jpg?w=432&amp;ssl=1 432w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/NSSF_Logo_noback-20.jpg?resize=300%2C198&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption>The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is an American national trade association for the firearms industry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Andrew Ross Sorkin, a New York Times columnist who proposed this idea years ago, penned a column outlining the \u201cnext steps.\u201d In the column, he revealed that the pressure campaign by federal lawmakers, state attorneys general, state lawmakers, and activist banks on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to create a unique MCC for gun retailers was just the beginning. It was never about gathering data to aid law enforcement. It is, and always has been, a concerted effort to pressure credit card companies to deny lawful purchases of firearms and put every single gun purchaser on a watchlist.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-2 ai-viewport-2 ai-viewport-3\" style=\"margin: 8px auto; text-align: center; display: block; clear: both;\">\n<!--Mid Article Ad for Mobile and Tablet--><br \/>\n<a target=\"\u201d_blank\u201d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cheaperthandirt.com\/contest.html?cid=contest?utm_source=CTD_Blog_AD&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog_range_day_friday_mobile&amp;utm_content=square\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/rdf_sep22_ad_mobile.jpg?w=640&amp;is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" class=\" jetpack-lazy-image\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/rdf_sep22_ad_mobile.jpg?w=640&amp;ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Since the federal government is forbidden by law from creating and maintaining a searchable database of gun owners, this task is being outsourced to private industry.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1 ai-viewport-1\" style=\"margin: 8px auto; text-align: center; display: block; clear: both;\">\n<!--Mid Article Ad for Desktop--><br \/>\n<a target=\"\u201d_blank\u201d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cheaperthandirt.com\/rebate-central.html\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" align=\"center\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ca_ak_rebate_ad.jpg?w=500&amp;is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" class=\" jetpack-lazy-image\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ca_ak_rebate_ad.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1\" align=\"center\" px=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><\/div>\n<p>An international body of unelected bureaucrats, not accountable to the American public, is setting the conditions that will allow credit card companies to track, categorize and report \u201csuspicious\u201d purchases to law enforcement. This is the definition of an Orwellian society.<\/p>\n<h2>How We Got Here<\/h2>\n<p>Sorkin proposed the idea of cutting off gun purchases by throttling the use of credit cards in 2018, when he published a column titled,\u00a0<strong>\u201c<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/19\/business\/banks-gun-sales.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>How Banks Could Control Gun Sales If Washington Won\u2019t<\/strong><\/a><strong>.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0NSSF warned then of the dangerousness of this proposal. Sorkin\u2019s idea is that enough financial pressure could be applied to credit card giants to deny lawful gun sales. Swipe, insert chip, or tap just simply wouldn\u2019t work for those attempting to legally purchase a firearm or ammunition.<\/p>\n<p>This idea was\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nssf.org\/articles\/drilling-holes-in-proposed-credit-card-regulation-of-gun-purchases\/?hilite=sorkin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">backed<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by gun control front-woman Shannon Watts. Antigun politicians like U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) who\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nssf.org\/articles\/gun-control-politicians-want-banks-to-snoop-on-gun-buyers\/?hilite=sorkin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>introduced legislation<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0that would require the Treasury Department\u2019s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen) to give guidance to banks so they can report \u201csuspicious financial activity.\u201d The bill is fraught with civil liberty violations and not just those freedoms protected by the Second Amendment. Privacy rights \u2014 specifically those related to finances \u2014 would go by the wayside.<\/p>\n<p>Amalgamated Bank, a \u201csocially-responsible\u201d bank, pressured the ISO for the specific MCC to categorize firearm retailers. That\u2019s the same bank that refuses to do business to anyone in the gun industry but bankrolls the Democratic National Committee and Political Action Committees including Biden-Harris Democrats, Ready for Hillary (which is Hillary Clinton\u2019s Super PAC), Sen Elizabeth Warren\u2019s (D-Mass.) Warren Democrats and U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi\u2019s (D-Calif.) PAC, among others.<\/p>\n<h2>How It Works<\/h2>\n<p>The new MCC would apply to firearm retailers\u2019 sales where the customer uses a credit card to pay. The code would allow credit card giants to monitor transactions at firearm retailers. In other words, someone buying new waders, boots, bibs, decoys, calls, bags, a shotgun, and ammunition would all be specifically coded in a total lump sum the credit card companies could examine.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"camping supplies - backpacks\" class=\"wp-image-50856 jetpack-lazy-image\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Gear-Featured.jpg?w=745&amp;ssl=1 745w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Gear-Featured.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Gear-Featured.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Gear-Featured.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"camping supplies - backpacks\" class=\"wp-image-50856\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Gear-Featured.jpg?w=745&amp;ssl=1 745w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Gear-Featured.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption>It does not have to be guns and ammo. Simply purchasing some camping supplies could land you on a watchlist or earn you a knock at the door from law enforcement regarding your \u2018suspicious\u2019 purchase.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The credit card giants wouldn\u2019t be able to peer into the shopping basket to see that of the thousands of dollars someone might spend at the beginning of a hunting season would be mostly for gear, only a large purchase totaling thousands of dollars. That could raise a flag as a \u201csuspicious\u201d purchase. They could deny the transaction. They would report the transaction to law enforcement and a law-abiding gun owner could be put on a watchlist, like the terrorist watchlist or the government\u2019s \u201cNo Fly\u201d list. They could expect a visit from law enforcement asking them about their purchase, or attempted purchase.<\/p>\n<h2>How They Want It to Work<\/h2>\n<p>That\u2019s just the beginning. Sorkin\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/09\/12\/business\/dealbook\/gun-violence-credit-card-companies-merchant-code.amp.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>detailed plans<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to snap the door closed. Credit card giants need to do more than adopt the code, Sorkin said, they need to enforce it. That would require the credit card companies forcing sporting goods stores to ring up gun and ammunition separately at the gun counter and utilize the gun store MCC. Sorkin also wants payment processors to develop software algorithms that would automatically flag \u201csuspicious\u201d purchases. Those looking for a definition of what would be \u201csuspicious\u201d should be wary that Amalgamated Bank is already working on this. Banks, if Sorkin has his way, would be the arbiters of approving or denying the purchase.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s putting unelected bureaucrats in control of Second Amendment freedoms. Antigun billionaire Michael Bloomberg\u2019s Everytown for Gun Safety is heralding the move they\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Everytown\/status\/1569435939507941378?s=20&amp;t=nZ3BFh6GVMHO4kAgMRkWLg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">say<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0would prevent \u201c\u2026 an extremist building an arsenal.\u201d It could also prevent law-abiding gun owners from purchasing a handgun to protect themselves. Giffords gun control group\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GiffordsCourage\/status\/1568338477384605696?s=20&amp;t=LDxVYJ_niYrexyRlHauNZQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tweeted<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cNext steps: We\u2019ll work with @Visa, @Mastercard, &amp; @AmericanExpress to ensure bad actors are not exploiting our nation\u2019s financial system to carry out mass shootings and illicitly traffic firearms.\u201d Since Giffords\u2019 goal is to ban guns, \u201cbad actors\u201d would seem to include every lawful gun purchaser. Brady United, another gun control group, also\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bradyunited.org\/press-releases\/victory-amalgamated-bank-financial-system-crack-down-mass-shootings-gun-trafficking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">glommed<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0onto the \u201cbad actors\u201d descriptor, lumping all gun purchasers as potential criminals.<\/p>\n<p>This assault on privacy and Second Amendment rights isn\u2019t through. NSSF will work with Congress, state legislatures, and attorneys general to battle back and protect the industry and those it serves. This new gun store MCC will not protect America from criminals but it does serve the demands of gun control zealots to chill and then kill lawful gun ownership in America.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>What do you think of the new merchant codes? How will they be used against our Second Amendment rights? Share your answers in the comment section.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span id=\"tve_leads_end_content\" style=\"display: block; visibility: hidden; border: 1px solid transparent;\"\/><!-- AI CONTENT END 1 -->\n\t<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.cheaperthandirt.com\/gun-control-reveals-merchant-code-is-steppingstone-to-watchlists-and-bans\/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=gun-control-reveals-merchant-code-is-steppingstone-to-watchlists-and-bans\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home \u00bb News \u00bb Gun Control Reveals Merchant Code Is Steppingstone to Watchlists and Bans Last week, The Shooter\u2019s Log brought you the story of how banks and credit card processors are collaborating to create merchant codes specifically to track purchases made from retailers of guns and ammunition. 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