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A bill aimed at stopping credit card companies from tracking firearm purchases is headed to the U.S. Senate after clearing the House with bipartisan support.
The Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act (H.R. 1181) passed the House on July 14 by a 221-201 vote.
According to the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), the bill would prohibit payment networks from using special merchant category codes (MCCs) to identify purchases of firearms, ammunition, or other constitutionally protected items.
Supporters argue the measure is about protecting the privacy of law-abiding Americans and preventing the creation of what they describe as a backdoor registry of gun owners.
NRA-ILA praised the bill’s passage and thanked sponsor Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), along with Reps. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and Andy Barr (R-Ky.), for leading the effort. The organization says it has pushed for legislation addressing firearm-specific merchant codes for several years.
During House debate, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) argued the issue extends beyond firearms.
“This is not about crime. It’s about control,” Van Drew said.
He warned that allowing financial institutions to flag certain purchases could eventually expand beyond guns.
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“Once you can flag a purchase, any purchase, you can flag a person,” Van Drew said. “And once you can flag a person, you can control what they buy, what banks they use, and even what they believe.”
Van Drew also argued that exercising constitutional rights should never trigger additional financial scrutiny.
“Buying a firearm is not extremism. Buying a Bible is not extremism. Reading the news you choose is not extremism. Exercising a constitutional right is not extremism,” he said.
Supporters of this gun purchase privacy bill contend that merchant category codes were never intended to identify lawful gun owners and could be used by governments or third parties to monitor constitutionally protected activity.
Opponents of similar proposals have argued that merchant category codes don’t reveal the specific items purchased and could help financial institutions identify suspicious spending patterns tied to criminal activity. However, supporters counter that the codes create a system capable of monitoring lawful firearm purchases without probable cause.
With House approval secured, the bill now moves to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain. If passed there and signed into law, it would prohibit payment card networks from requiring or assigning merchant category codes that specifically identify firearm retailers.
For gun owners, the debate centers on a broader question: should financial institutions be able to distinguish firearm purchases from other retail transactions, or should those purchases remain just as private as any other lawful consumer purchase?
What say you?
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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some judge will block this…….