Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Gun Controllers Want Credit Card Companies to Monitor and Restrict Lawful Purchases

Friday, February 22, 2019

Gun Controllers Want Credit Card Companies to Monitor and Restrict Lawful Purchases

Gun controllers have become increasingly frustrated that their federal agenda has been repeatedly rejected by Americans through their elected representatives, leading them to seek to circumvent the legislative process and restrict gun rights by way of the private financial system. Their goal is to pressure financial services companies into either not doing business with the firearms industry and gun owners, or to comprehensively surveille their lawful activity.

This should be chilling to anyone who cherishes their privacy, not just law-abiding gun owners.

On December 24, the gun confiscation supporters at the New York Times ran a thinly-veiled advocacy piece by Andrew Ross Sorkin in the news section, titled, “Devastating Arsenals, Bought With Plastic and Nary a Red Flag.” The piece outlined how some of the perpetrators of high-profile mass murders had purchased firearms and ammunition in the same manner that many ordinary law-abiding Americans do; with credit cards.   Under Sorkin’s preferred scenario, credit card companies would require retailers to tag firearms-related purchases with additional data that could be used by the credit card companies to compile information on gun owners. The surveillance data could then be used to flag suspicious purchases for law enforcement.

The online edition of the piece carried the headline “How Banks Unwittingly Finance Mass Shootings,” suggesting that financial services companies were somehow complicit in violence by facilitating the exchange of lawful goods that were ultimately used for criminal purposes.

According to the misbranded op-ed, banks and other financial services companies are “uniquely positioned” to monitor gun owner purchasing habits. Under Sorkin’s preferred scenario, credit card companies would require retailers to tag firearms-related purchases with additional data that could be used by the credit card companies to compile information on gun owners. The surveillance data could then be used to flag suspicious purchases for law enforcement.

Moreover, the piece suggests that this data collection could be used to restrict certain types of lawful firearms transactions outright. Sorkin suggested,

Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods this year announced that they would not sell firearms to anyone under 21. If banks chose to use the systems they already have in place, they might decide to monitor such customers, perhaps preventing them from buying multiple guns in a short period of time.

To their credit, when asked for comment by the Times’s advocate, the major financial transaction firms expressed a reluctance to violate the privacy of their law-abiding customers. A Visa spokesperson explained, “We do not believe Visa should be in the position of setting restrictions on the sale of lawful goods or services… Asking Visa or other payment networks to arbitrate what legal goods can be purchased sets a dangerous precedent.” A Mastercard spokesperson added that the transaction company values the privacy of their customers’ “own purchasing decisions.”

These responses are promising, but don’t expect anti-gun extremists to relent with their pressure.

The Sorkin article is simply part of a wider-ranging effort to attack firearms owners through the financial system. In April 2018, Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety expressed support for increased credit card company surveillance of firearms transactions. In fact, the anti-gun organization has developed “guidelines” for financial institutions doing business with the firearms industry. Under the guidelines, firearms manufacturers and retailers would be forced to adopt a host of gun control measures in order to do business with financial services providers.    

The recent credit card proposals prompt important questions. Under what scenario would a gun owner’s purchases be flagged as “suspicious,” or be outright denied? Might the criteria be defined by anti-gun activists to include any volume of firearms-related goods they consider deviant? Gun owners routinely purchase large quantities of firearms products and ammunition for the same reason consumers buy anything in bulk; to save money.  In April 2018, Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety expressed support for increased credit card company surveillance of firearms transactions. In fact, the anti-gun organization has developed “guidelines” for financial institutions doing business with the firearms industry. Under the guidelines, firearms manufacturers and retailers would be forced to adopt a host of gun control measures in order to do business with financial services providers.

Gun owners should also be aware that any increase in the information that financial services companies collect may wind up in the federal government’s hands. A June 2013 item in the Wall Street Journal reported that the National Security Agency was scooping up large quantities of data from credit card providers.

Even those who do not value our Right to Keep and Bear Arms, but do cherish other civil liberties should be concerned with such credit card transaction proposals. In early 2018, when some of these ideas were first floated, Georgetown University Law Professor Adam Levitin pointed out, “There’s a privacy angle here… There’s the slippery slope danger if it’s guns today maybe it is pornography tomorrow and the day after it’s right-wing literature.”

New rules or surveillance procedures imposed by the credit card industry on firearms transactions would have a profound, negative effect on gun owners and the firearms industry, and pose a broader threat to all liberty-minded Americans. NRA will continue to monitor these efforts and keep our members apprised of any further developments.

TRENDING NOW
Rep. Sheri Biggs Introduces Legislation to Ensure Ability to Ship Firearms

News  

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Rep. Sheri Biggs Introduces Legislation to Ensure Ability to Ship Firearms

On April 28, 2025, Representative Sheri Biggs (R-SC-03) introduced the Protecting the Mailing of Firearms Act (H.R. 3033). This legislation will remove the arbitrary prohibition on the mailing of handguns and ammunition via the United States Postal ...

New Hampshire: Hearing on Firearms Safety Training in Schools This Week

Monday, May 5, 2025

New Hampshire: Hearing on Firearms Safety Training in Schools This Week

On Friday, May 9th, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on an amendment to SB 54 that would require NRA's Hunter Education and Eddie Eagle GunSafe programs to be taught in New Hampshire Schools. 

Trump Administration Revives Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Provision

News  

Friday, March 21, 2025

Trump Administration Revives Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Provision

On March 20, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published an interim final rule entitled, Withdrawing the Attorney General’s Delegation of Authority. That bland title belies the historic nature of the measure, which is aimed at reviving ...

Anti-gun Lawmakers Attempt to Ban Essential Second Amendment Arms

News  

Monday, May 5, 2025

Anti-gun Lawmakers Attempt to Ban Essential Second Amendment Arms

On April 30, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced the so-called “Assault Weapons Ban of 2025.” Picking up where his predecessor Dianne Feinstein left off, Schiff’s legislation would ban commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms, such as the AR-15.

Maine: Anti-Gun Bills Receive Bipartisan Opposition in Committee

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Maine: Anti-Gun Bills Receive Bipartisan Opposition in Committee

On Wednesday, May 7th, the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary voted on several gun-related bills. After a lengthy discussion, all anti-gun bills received bipartisan opposition.

Not Your Father’s DOJ: Government Actively Backs Second Amendment in Litigation

News  

Monday, May 5, 2025

Not Your Father’s DOJ: Government Actively Backs Second Amendment in Litigation

It has, in theory, always been the sworn duty of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to uphold the constitutional rights of American citizens and to affirmatively protect fundamental liberties. 

Kansas Supreme Court Enforces PLCAA in High Profile Case

News  

Monday, May 5, 2025

Kansas Supreme Court Enforces PLCAA in High Profile Case

Last week, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld a significant district court dismissal in Johnson v. Bass Pro Outdoor World, LLC, deciding that Bass Pro Outdoor World and Beretta USA/Beretta Italy cannot be sued by a man who ...

Oregon: Senate Hearing Scheduled for Gun-Control Omnibus Bill

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Oregon: Senate Hearing Scheduled for Gun-Control Omnibus Bill

On Monday, May 12th, the Senate Rules Committee will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 243, an omnibus gun-control bill. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 1pm.  

Missouri: Firearms Preemption Bill Passes House Committee

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Missouri: Firearms Preemption Bill Passes House Committee

Yesterday, May 6th, the House General Laws Committee passed House Bill 726, strengthening firearms preemption laws, by a vote of 7-1. 

Partisan Due Process Renaissance Excludes American Gun Owners

News  

Monday, May 5, 2025

Partisan Due Process Renaissance Excludes American Gun Owners

An observer of American political discourse can’t go anywhere these days without being bombarded by reproachful references to the importance of “due process.”

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.