DeSantis signs bill to fine credit card companies for tracking gun purchases

FORT MYERS, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to fine credit card companies for tracking gun and ammunition purchases using merchant category codes, also known as MCCs.

“So we believe that whole idea of MCCs is very political,” DeSantis said. “We think it’s going to be used against people for just exercising their basic constitutional rights.”

The law comes after the International Organization for Standardization previously declared it would develop a new merchant category code with the express purpose of distinguishing the sale of firearms and ammunition. 

Under Florida’s new law, if a credit card companies decide to track gun and ammunition sales, they can be fined up to $10,000.

DeSantis praised Florida as the first state in the country to “prohibit these massive financial institutions from collecting data on you flagging you just for basically exercising your right.”

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson initially announced the plan entitled “The Florida Arms and Ammo Act,” which would fine credit card companies if they track gun purchases in Florida.

Simpson spoke at the bill signing press conference Friday.

The legislation was carried by Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, and Rep. John Snyder, R-Stuart.

In 2022, Visa, Mastercard and American Express announced plans to apply a new sales code to distinguish firearm purchases at U.S. gun stores. However, some credit card companies reportedly paused their work to track gun purchases.

Simpson said credit card companies do not want different rules for each state.

“We believe they have substantially stopped using these MCC codes and we believe after this bill is signed today, that we’ll put an end to it,” Simpson said.