DENVER (KDVR) — A new bill aimed at curbing gun violence is making some headway in the state.
SB24-066 would establish a new code, known as Merchant Category Codes, to categorize firearm sales.
MCCs are four-digit numbers that identify the type of business involved in a transaction such as grocery stores, department stores, etc. This proposed legislation would require payment card networks like Visa or Mastercard to provide a specific code for businesses that sell firearms and ammunition.
Supporters claim this would help banks and credit cards recognize dangerous firearm purchasing patterns to alert law enforcement while those in opposition are calling it a backdoor form of registration.
“Really what it is, is just a four-digit code that bolts onto an existing system that banks and credit card companies use to protect themselves from illicit activity and when it comes to gun crime, that has the benefit of keeping us safe,” Hudson Munoz said.
“Let’s inhibit criminal behavior a little bit by assigning the code to gun and ammunition stores so that when someone has bad intent when buying a weapon, there’s an alert in place that stops that from happening,” Munoz said.
In the past, supporters claim several perpetrators in mass shootings have used credit or debit cards to purchase vast quantities of firearms and ammunition.
“The really dangerous thing about this is it effectively creates a back door gun registry,” Rhodes said. “Let’s say you go to Cabela’s and buy a shotgun. The government will know you bought that shotgun because of the merchant code associated with your purchase. Beforehand it was just deemed as a sporting good and they couldn’t track it the way they’re going to now.”
Right now, Rhodes said they are juggling several lawsuits filed against five firearm-related laws previously passed in the state.
The bill cleared the Senate Business, Labor & Technology Committee this week. It now heads for further consideration by the full Senate.
