Attorney General James Applauds Requirement for Credit Card Companies to Categorize Gun Sales

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today applauded the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for requiring credit card companies to create a merchant category code (MCC) on gun and ammunition purchases. Attorney General James released this statement in response:

“Today’s decision requiring credit cards to categorize gun sales is a big victory that will help us better address gun violence and avoid tragedies. Labeling gun and ammunition sales is a responsible, common-sense way to help protect Americans and I thank Amalgamated Bank for their bold leadership on this critical issue. I urge credit card companies to take the next step and flag suspicious transactions on gun and ammunition sales, like they do for fraud and money laundering. By working together and using the tools at our disposal, including this new categorization, we will help protect our communities and save lives.”

Today's decision follows a letter sent last week by Attorney General James and California Attorney General Bonta calling on credit card companies to take this common-sense step to help address gun violence and prevent tragedies.