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Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act Introduced in Congress
(Source: https://www.hagerty.senate.gov/press-releases/2025/05/15/hagerty-colleagues-reintroduce-legislation-to-block-unconstitutional-tracking-of-gun-store-purchases/)
Recently, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, reintroduced the Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act (S.1715). This legislation aims to safeguard gun store customers by preventing unconstitutional surveillance through Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) that track gun-related purchases. Congressman Riley Moore (WV) has also introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives (H.R. 1181). Several years ago, credit card companies and banks rallied around the idea of tracking firearm, ammunition, and firearm-related accessories purchases through MCCs through an anti-gun agenda. Through public outcry, many of these companies rescinded. However, the threat still looms.
The Bill has garnered support from several co-sponsors, including Senators Jim Justice (R-WV), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and others. Senator Hagerty emphasized the importance of the legislation, stating, “Merchant category codes should never be used to track and surveil gun store customers,” said Senator Hagerty. “If this alarming overreach isn’t stopped, radical leftists won’t just target gun owners—they’ll weaponize the financial system against anyone who makes a purchase that doesn’t conform to their agenda. This legislation is critical to preventing the politicization of MCC codes and securing the civil liberties of law-abiding Americans and the Second Amendment.”
Representative Riley Moore echoed this sentiment, “Any attempt to collect data on Americans simply exercising their God-given rights is wrong, and I won’t stand for it. I’m proud to have led this fight at the state level as West Virginia State Treasurer, where we were the first in the nation to codify this policy that protects our Second Amendment rights.” Ensuring the privacy of citizens and preventing financial institutions from unlawfully surveilling citizens is the core of what Senator Haggerty and Representative Moore are standing up against.
Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel, criticized gun control advocates who aim to use specific MCCs to monitor firearm purchases. He stated, “Gun control proponents, including those in Congress, have already admitted the use of a firearm retailer-specific Merchant Category Code is intended to monitor and approve firearm and ammunition purchases.” He continued, “Senator Hagerty’s Bill would prohibit the government from creating watchlists or determining when law-abiding citizens may exercise their Second Amendment rights, which starts with legally purchasing a firearm or ammunition. No American should be concerned that banks or the federal government are employing this Orwellian antigun scheme to monitor the exercise of their Second Amendment rights when they lawfully purchase firearms or ammunition products. NSSF thanks Senator Hagerty for his principled leadership to stand up for Second Amendment rights and against gun control special interest groups and big government lawmakers who want to monitor and deny lawful transactions by law-abiding Americans. Americans should worry about what’s in their wallet, not who’s in their wallet.”
The introduction of the Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act is the latest pro-2A legislation introduced by the 119th Congress. While maintaining a majority, Republicans are looking to capitalize on and strengthen individuals’ right to keep and bear arms. For more information on the Bill, click here.
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