D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine announced that he led a coalition of 11 attorneys general favoring the decision of global credit card companies to adopt a new merchant category code for the sale of firearms and ammunition that will support law enforcement efforts to fight gun violence.
In addition to Racine, the attorneys general of Delaware, New Jersey, California, Minnesota, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts and Oregon support the adoption of the merchant category code. Visa, Mastercard and American Express have signed on for the merchant category code.
In a letter to the leaders of the credit card companies, the attorneys general said the code will help curb the sale of illegal guns by providing sales information from financial institutions to law enforcement agencies.
“Keeping D.C. residents safe is my office’s top priority — that’s why we’re standing behind financial institutions that are helping law enforcement better combat gun violence and mass shootings,” Racine said. “All of us — prosecutors, law enforcement, business, and community members — must work together to keep our families and neighbors safe. This recent move by Visa, Mastercard, and American Express is one such tool that could prevent harmful acts of gun violence across the country.”
