Financial Surveillance Must Be Stopped to Protect the Second Amendment

There is no such thing as a free nation where the police and military are allowed to keep and bear arms while citizens are not. Our Founding Fathers understood this fundamental truth and enshrined the basic right to self-defense in the U.S. Constitution. The Second Amendment guarantees our ability to live in peace without fear.

The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly reaffirmed this right. Yet, elected Democrats and other liberal stakeholders continue their relentless assault on this freedom with the ultimate goal of denying law-abiding Americans the opportunity to purchase and carry firearms.

In 2022, I became concerned when Visa and Mastercard announced they would separately categorize and track purchases for guns and ammunition. This move followed the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a Europe-based international standards body, approving an application for a firearm-specific Merchant Category Code (MCC). This decision sets a dangerous precedent that targets legal gun owners, predominantly Republicans or right-leaning independents.

Key Concerns:

• Privacy Invasion: A specific MCC for gun purchases subjects Americans to unnecessary and unethical surveillance.

• Risk of a National Registry: Despite being prohibited by federal law, a national gun registry would be closer than ever.

• Potential for De-banking: Liberal institutions could exploit this code to de-bank firearms sellers and discourage lawful gun purchases.

The application for a gun-specific MCC came from Amalgamated Bank in 2022, a Left-leaning institution that proudly supports “sustainable organizations, progressive causes, and social justice.” The bank’s connections to the Democratic Party are clear, with clients like President Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Nancy Pelosi. Such institutions have no place interfering with our Second Amendment rights.

Amalgamated’s CEO, Priscilla Sims Brown, claimed that the MCC “answers the call of millions of Americans who want safety from gun violence.” However, this call does not override the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. As a state representative serving Northwest Tennessee, my constituents firmly believe that coastal elites and liberal corporations should stay far away from their guns and finances.

In response, I sponsored the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act, passed by the General Assembly and effective from July 1. This law prohibits financial institutions from requiring retailers to use a specific MCC for firearms sellers in Tennessee. This legislation ensures that law-abiding Americans can make firearm purchases without fear of liberal surveillance.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti warned Visa, Mastercard, and American Express against ignoring this new law. His June letter emphasized that non-compliance with Tennessee’s policies would be unacceptable.

The Biden Administration and private companies have already demonstrated Orwellian tendencies. The House Judiciary Committee revealed that federal investigators had requested financial institutions to search customer transactions for various MCCs, including those of major sporting goods stores, to root out alleged “extremism” following the January 6 Capitol events.

If the government and private companies are already using banking information to target conservatives, the implications of a separate MCC for firearms and ammunition sellers are alarming. It’s evident that this initiative aims to reshape the meaning of the Second Amendment in America.

Americans are fed up with agendas that contradict our founding ideals. Tennessee has taken a stand against the leftist corporate-government alliance meant to intimidate and silence conservatives. It's time for every state to join us in this fight.

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