South Carolina Moves to Ban Merchant Category Codes for Gun Stores

One of the most insidious things, as well as the dumbest, we’ve seen from the anti-gun side might well be the idea of creating merchant category codes for gun stores. I understand the arguments they make for it, but those arguments are reflective of someone who has never been in a gun store in their life, knows nothing about gun buyers or the gun community, and thinks they do.

So, a lot of states have banned credit card companies from using them, even as some have required them.

Now, South Carolina is moving toward putting its name on the ban list.

South Carolina lawmakers are one step closer to making the Palmetto State the 21^st to ban the use of firearms-specific merchant category codes (MCCs) for citizens buying guns and ammunition.

Last week, the South Carolina House of Representatives passed House Bill 3930, which would prohibit the use of firearm- and ammunition-specific Merchant Category Codes. The measure now goes to the state senate.

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Interestingly, the South Carolina legislation also includes an enforcement mechanism that allows the South Carolina Attorney General to pursue legal remedies against entities that violate these provisions.

“The Attorney General shall investigate reasonable allegations that a person or entity, including a government entity, has violated the provisions of this article and, upon finding violation, provide written notice to the person or entity believed to have committed the violation,” the measure states. “The person or entity shall cease the violation within thirty business days after receiving written notice from the Attorney General pursuant to this section.”

I like that last bit a lot.

See, this is a massive privacy issue, on the one hand, and it’s one that’s destined to be a complete disaster with regard to stopping things like mass shootings from happening.

On one hand, no one really has any business knowing what I purchased. Thankfully, merchant category codes don’t actually know what’s in the shopping bag when you leave the store, but the gist is that they’ll have an idea that I bought a gun. That’s a problem because, again, it’s not any of their business. Especially as this is designed to open me up to scrutiny by the company itself, which will evaluate my purchase pattern and decide if they should direct law enforcement to me or not, even though I’ve done nothing wrong.

We’ve got enough of that going on right now as it is. We don’t need more.

But that highlights one of the issues here. The argument that spurred the creation of these codes was that the company could use tools they use to detect financial fraud to determine if someone is “stockpiling” guns and ammunition that might be used in a mass shooting.

Mass shooters, though, often just buy one or two firearms. They don’t stockpile anything. They might buy a good bit of ammunition, but so does every gun owner who puts in range time.

Meanwhile, a lot of us buy more guns than any mass killer does. We’re collectors or enthusiasts, not threats.

So why should we be investigated by anyone?

My hope is that South Carolina passes this bill, then utilizes it to the fullest extent possible to keep this insanity from happening there.