Beginning in April of 2023, Discover Card will become the first credit card issuer, to track gun purchases made by their cardholders. Last September, Visa had caved to pressure from gun control groups and New York Democrats, agreeing to flag gun and ammo purchases via a new sales categorization. At the time, according to the Associated Press, Mastercard and other major credit cards also agreed to flag gun sales.
The Independent Journal Review (IJR) reported On March 2, 2023, that Discover will be first among credit card companies to track gun sales. They will begin doing so in April. The IJR explained-
“Anyone using a Discover card to make a purchase in a gun store will have that purchase tracked, beginning in April.”
-The Independent Journal Review
With over 55 million Discover cards in use, a lot of information on gun purchases, will be gathered with just that one company. According to Reuters, Discover Financial Services was ahead of Visa and Mastercard in February 2023, noting that Discover would –
“allow its network to track purchases at gun retailers come April, making it the first among its peers to publicly give a date for moving ahead with the initiative, which is aimed at helping authorities probe gun-related crimes.”… “We remain focused on continuing to protect and support lawful purchases on our network while protecting the privacy of cardholders.”
-Discover statement to Reuters
Approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in September 2022, the code for tracking gun purchases was set in place. However, an ISO representative stated-
“The decision to use the new merchant category code is eventually left up to the users in the industry.”
-Spokesperson for International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
This appears to be a very deliberate choice on the part of Discover Financial Services, and a very good reason not to buy any forearms using their credit resources, or support them otherwise.
“A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent on others for essential, particularly for military, supplies.”
-John Adams, Speech to US Congress January 8, 1790