Montana prohibits banks from tracking gun sales codes.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has signed a bill into law that prohibits financial institutions from requiring retailers to use a special code to track firearms purchases. This move comes after the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) established a new merchant category code (MCC) for firearms, which would allow financial institutions to track gun sales separately from other retail products. However, gun rights advocates have pushed back against the firearms-specific MCCs, and lawmakers in several states have begun pursuing legislation to block the gun-purchase tracking agenda.

The Montana Senate passed the bill in March, followed by the state House in April. Gianforte signed the bill into law on May 19. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a firearms industry trade association, celebrated the passage of the bill, stating that Americans exercising their right to legally purchase firearms and ammunition should never be threatened by private financial service providers or government authorities to have their name and financial data added to a government-accessible watchlist simply for exercising their Second Amendment rights.

“Governor Gianforte is ensuring that Montanans won’t be held captive by the radical ‘woke’ antigun agenda that seeks to weaponize credit cards in gun owners’ wallets against them. Gun owners should worry about what’s in their wallet, not who’s in their wallet.”

States Pushing Back on Gun-Purchase Tracking

Montana is not the only state pushing back on the firearm-specific MCC system. West Virginia, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Florida have passed similar laws in recent months. In March, credit card giants Visa, Mastercard, and American Express paused plans to implement the firearm MCC system, citing concerns about confusion and legal uncertainty created by the new state laws.

Gun Violence Prevention Tool or Backdoor Registry?

Gun-control proponents like Guns Down America, The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and New Yorkers Against Gun Violence all praised the ISO after it voted to move ahead with the firearms MCC system in September. However, opponents argue that the system could be used as a backdoor registry, allowing the government to track gun owners and their purchases.