Capital District Times

Saratoga, N.Y. - Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Congressman Andy Barr have raised concerns over what they describe as an attack on Second Amendment rights by the Biden-Harris Administration. In a recent opinion piece published in Newsweek, the two representatives criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for allegedly using American banks to target lawful gun owners.

The article discusses the introduction of a new Merchant Category Code (MCC) for firearms retailers within the payment processing system. According to Stefanik and Barr, this MCC is being used to label and track transactions involving firearms and ammunition, which they argue infringes on consumer privacy and equitable treatment of lawful purchases.

To address these concerns, Stefanik and Barr have introduced the Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act. This legislation aims to prevent firearms retailers from being unjustly targeted by financial entities and ensures that purchases made by law-abiding citizens are protected from government monitoring or denial.

"Our bill aims to ensure that firearms retailers are not unjustly targeted by payment card networks or other financial entities," stated Stefanik and Barr in their op-ed. They further explained that their legislation seeks to prevent the creation of a backdoor registry of gun owners and guarantee that legal commerce is not unfairly surveilled based on the nature of goods sold.

The representatives emphasized that liberal states like California have mandated the implementation of this code despite some credit card companies pausing its rollout and several states passing laws against it. This has led them to call for federal action to establish a nationwide standard.

Stefanik and Barr's proposed legislation comes amid feedback from constituents who express concerns about being unfairly monitored for engaging in lawful activities. The lawmakers reiterated their commitment to ensuring privacy for consumers making legal transactions involving firearms or ammunition.

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