DENVER (KDVR) — A new bill aimed at curbing gun violence is making some headway in the state.
SB24-066 would establish a new code, known as Merchant Category Codes, to categorize firearm sales.
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MCCs are four-digit numbers that identify the type of business involved in a transaction such as grocery stores, department stores, etc. This proposed legislation would require payment card networks like Visa or Mastercard to provide a specific code for businesses that sell firearms and ammunition.
Supporters claim this would help banks and credit cards recognize dangerous firearm purchasing patterns to alert law enforcement while those in opposition are calling it a backdoor form of registration.
“Really what it is, is just a four-digit code that bolts onto an existing system that banks and credit card companies use to protect themselves from illicit activity and when it comes to gun crime, that has the benefit of keeping us safe,” Hudson Munoz said.