Congressman Dan Goldman Works to Increase Detection of Suspicious Purchases of Weapons and Ammunition
The ‘Identify Gun Stores Act’ Would Allow Credit Card Companies to Implement New Sales Category Code for Gun Merchants
Bill Would be Critical in Identifying Suspicious Purchasing Patterns, Stopping Mass Shooters Before They Act
Read the Bill Here
Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Congressmen Maxwell Frost (FL-10) and Jared Moskowitz (FL-23) in introducing the ‘Identify Gun Stores Act.’ This bill would empower credit card companies to implement a new merchant category code to better identify gun and ammunition sellers, a proactive measure that could help recognize suspicious purchasing patterns and provide law enforcement with information to stop shooters and save lives.
The ‘Identify Gun Stores Act’ follows the International Organization for Standards’ approval of a new merchant category code (MCC) for credit card companies to help detect suspicious firearm and ammunition sales. Since this approval, many Republican-led states have banned the use of this new MCC to identify purchases originating at gun stores.
“It is our responsibility to use every available tool to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals and prevent mass shootings,” Congressman Goldman said. “It is unconscionable that Republican state legislatures are actively standing in the way of this commonsense method to stop gun violence before it happens. Simply put, those who are lawfully permitted to purchase firearms and ammunition should have no problem with basic monitoring. It is only those who should not own guns who benefit from these GOP laws. It is incumbent upon Congress to approve this detection mechanism so that Republican state legislatures cannot continue to put the gun lobby above our safety.”
Currently, major credit card companies across the United States have paused the implementation of the new MCC due to conflicting state laws. This bill would prohibit states from banning the implementation of this MCC, ensuring that credit card companies could begin use of the MCC to track suspicious gun and ammo purchases no matter which state they are operating in.
Congressman Dan Goldman is fighting to pass the commonsense gun safety legislation that is supported by a majority of Americans.
In February of 2023, the Congressman cosponsored three commonsense solutions that would protect our communities from the scourge of gun violence. The ‘Assault Weapons Ban,’ which would have prohibited the weapons used in eight of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in recent American history, the ‘Bipartisan Background Checks Act’ supported by more than 90 percent of both Democrats and Republicans in America – which would require that every sale of a firearm include a background check, and ‘Ethan’s Law’ which would require gun owners to safely and securely store their firearms and establish strong penalties for violations.
Earlier this year, Goldman also signed on to the ‘Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act,’ which would place safeguards and limitations on the sale of ammunition over the internet and the ‘Default Proceed Sale Transparency Act’ to address the 'Charleston Loophole,’ which allows some gun sales to be completed without a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background check.
He also joined House Democrats in signing a discharge petition that would force the Republican House Leadership to allow a vote on the ‘Keep Americans Safe Act’ on the House floor. In the 118th Congress, House Republicans have not let a single piece of bipartisan gun safety legislation come to a vote.
Congressman Goldman is a Vice Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and is Chair of the Dads Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Working Group.
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