FRANKFORT, KY - (January 29, 2024) – Legislation that would prohibit merchant processors from using specific merchant category codes for transactions involving the sale of firearms and/or ammunition has been filed by Representative Michael Meredith of Oakland and Representative Derek Lewis of London.
“Despite countless attacks over the years, the Second Amendment continues to protect our right to keep and bear arms. However, we continue to hear folks advocate for a designated code that could be used to infringe on the privacy of buyers while making potential discrimination against gun shops and firearms retailers easier. We felt like this was an opportunity to get ahead of it with HB 357,” Meredith said.
Under the provisions of HB 357, specific merchant category codes could not be used in the sale of a firearm and/or ammunition. The issue stems from a move by the International Organization for Standardization, a global network of unelected officials based in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2022, the organization created a four-digit merchant category code for firearms retailers in a move that many felt was aimed at tracking purchases.
“HB 357 would protect the purchaser’s private information and ensure they’re not identified and profiled based on their exercise of a constitutional right in existence since 1791,” Lewis added.
For more information about HB 357 and to track its legislative progress, visit the Kentucky General Assembly’s website.
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