Discover Financial Services will start tracking gun purchases at retailers nationwide this coming April.
Discover is the fourth largest credit card provider after American Express, Visa, and Mastercard and is the first provider to publicly state that it will start tracking gun purchases. The credit card company claims it will begin monitoring gun purchases to help law enforcement agencies investigate gun-related crimes. The announcement comes five months after the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approved a dedicated merchant code for gun stores.
Credit card companies have been under pressure from Democratic members of Congress to track gun purchases better. These members claim that assigning a different code to firearms sales will somehow help police solve crimes involving guns. They also claim that the data can and should be used for research into firearms-related crimes.
Although the codes will not show what exact guns the patron purchased from a federal firearms licensee (FFL), many in the Second Amendment community worry that these codes can be used to block the lawful purchase of firearms. Others fear that credit card companies will use the data to raise the transaction rates of gun stores, making it more cost prohibited to buy a firearm. Also, many others worry the data recovered will be used to create an anti-gun narrative by cherry-picking data.
These fears might not be unfounded. During the Obama administration, the Justice Department launched “Operation Chokepoint.” The operation designated gun stores as a risk for money laundering even though most, if not all, customers must fill out an ATF Form 4473 and complete a federal background check when buying an item from a gun shop.
Republican members of Congress worry that the data will violate the privacy rights of Americans who purchase lawful goods. Discover was quick to claim to Reuters that those fears were unfounded.
“We remain focused on continuing to protect and support lawful purchases on our network while protecting the privacy of cardholders,” Discover said in its statement to Reuters.
According to Discover, other credit card companies also plan to implement the new codes in April. The company refused to identify which other card companies would start using the “5723 – Gun and ammunition shops” codes. Master Card, Visa, and American Express are mum on the issue and have not responded to media inquiries.
ISO, which is based in Europe, said the merchant codes would be available to card companies by the end of this month. Although available for credit card companies use, they are not required to use the codes. Each company is free to choose whether to adopt the codes or not.
Discover only has 2% of the credit card market in the United States, but the U.S. credit card market is so large that the company processes $191.2 million worth of transactions each year. Gun owners can significantly dent Discover’s market cap by canceling or simply not using their Discover cards. Boycotts have been a successful tool of the left for many years. Using the same methods as the left, gun owners can send a strong message to these companies that Americans do not want their gun purchases tracked.
Discover did not respond to AmmoLand’s request for comment
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
The gun merchant code means nothing other than a purchase was made at a store that also sells guns. It doesn’t mean the cardholder bought a gun. And it won’t help reduce crime at all. 99% of gun toting thugs don’t even use credit cards, and they didn’t buy their guns-they stole them or bought the guns from someone who did.
Registration leads to confiscation & extra fees (tax)!
Excuse me while I cut my card into little pieces.
Discover knows how to lose customers. I wonder how many stores that accept discover will stop accepting it?
Read this story on another site yesterday. Immediately called Discover, had them close my account, the ran my cards through my shredder. If the other credit card companies wanna go all ‘woke’ and do what Discover has done then I won’t have any problem shredding those accounts either.
Also, great article Mr. Crump. Cheers!
Thanks
That’s one more reason why I don’t use discover card,Eff gun grabbing tyrants and their tools.
I had no problem with them. Besides their high interest rate. I have a pretty good limit on my card. I almost feel like buying something just to max it out. Maybe a few BARRETT 50 Cals. And then not pay them. See how that works for them. That’s better than cancelling. Now imagine if everyone did that. That be better than just boycotting. They’ll still owe their debtors. I lived without credit before. Not that big a deal. When you don’t use it much anyhow. lmao
Arny, thanks for confirming for the world your lack of financial expertise.
Everything I own is paid for including my home. Go figure.
Discover and the rest of the credid criminals have already been put on notice by our attorney general that this crap won’t fly in Montana . Discover will discover they can no longer can do buisness in our free state.
I love your state,One of the few that stands for the rights of the citizens.
Bye-Bye Discover!
Cash is the answere to this BS. Cut up the discover card and let Discover , discover bankruptcy
“It’s the tide. It’s the dismal tide.”
From No Country for Old Men.
HLB
Discover ….who??? But, if you have a Discover card, just put the Discover card in the back of your safe. Don’t cut it up/close account. Closing account will lower your overall available credit line potentially lowering your credit score. Use their credit limit to boost your overall credit line, lowering the percentage of available credit used. Use and abuse them for your benefit.
I suppose money orders or cashiers checks are the only options buying online? I don’t see a single merchant advertising such, probably a good thing.
I keep zero balances on my CC’s. I would happily move all of my finances to a company that values privacy, integrity and not into wokeness. Dan Bongino’s Alternate Economy platform is thinking about jumping into that business. I say Let’s Roll, Dan!!!
Have never had a Discrewer Card…and never will.
You can’t track or find gun sales with that code. Fake article.
You will soon hear of sub-codes to define camping equipment from boats and guns.
When bit coin is the only way to buy anything, everything will have a code so big brother knows all!
That’s the intent of all digital currency.