May 14, 2023
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill that would ban credit card companies from tracking firearm and ammunition purchases.
“We’ll be the first state in the country to step up to the plate and prohibit these massive financial institutions from collecting data on you, flagging you just for basically exercising your right,” DeSantis said during a news conference.
“If you go and buy ammunition for your firearms, then you go to one of these shooting ranges, should you be flagged for doing that? I don’t think so.”
Credit card companies use four-digit codes to collect data on purchases. Last year, the International Organization for Standardization, which sets standards for payment transactions, approved the creation of a special code for gun stores to use when processing credit or debit card transactions.
Soon after, American Express, Visa, and Mastercard said they would adopt it. Pushback from many Republican-led states and gun rights advocates led them to back off.
DeSantis called the idea “very political.”
“We think it’s going to be used against people for just exercising their basic constitutional rights,” he said.
Under Florida’s new law, “The Florida Arms and Ammo Act,” credit card companies can be fined up to $10,000 if they track gun and ammunition sales.