Card companies' labeling of gun sales is 'an assault on the 2nd Amendment'

Several credit card companies are creating a new merchant code for firearms dealers, a move that is being called "an assault on the Second Amendment" by more than 100 Republicans who signed the letter.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a Swiss-based organization that sets and monitors quality standards across a wide range of industries. Its subcommittee voted earlier this month to establish a new merchant category code (MCC) for firearms, previously categorized as "general merchandise".

One of the largest debit and credit card companies, Visa, adopted the change as a result of the decision by the influential body.

In a statement, Visa said it will proceed with next steps after ISO decided to create a new merchant category code while preserving its longstanding rules for protecting lawful commerce.

It was denounced as an erosion of Second Amendment rights at the time by the National Rifle Association (NRA).

According to an NRA spokesperson, creating a firearm-specific code is nothing more than caving in to anti-gun activists and politicians who are bent on eroding Americans' rights.

15 September 2022