Credit card companies greenlight tracking of gun purchases with new code

 Several large credit card companies are taking steps to track gun purchases in California with a new code, CBS News reported on Monday.

American Express, Visa and Mastercard are working on putting a merchant code in place for firearm and ammunition stores, CBS News reported. They are doing this to adhere to a California law that could enable banks to monitor certain gun purchases that are deemed suspect to forward to law enforcement agencies, which Second Amendment advocates have pushed back against.

Gun stores at present are categorized with various retailers, including sporting goods sellers, according to CBS News. These credit card companies previously consented to establish a unique code specifically for firearm vendors but halted the effort following resistance from Second Amendment advocates who said it could violate the rights of lawful gun owners.

However, gun control advocates are hopeful the code can help prevent gun-related crime by detecting questionable purchases, according to CBS News. They compare it to how banks and credit unions notify law enforcement about identity theft or terrorism funding...more