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Markup stokes sharp debate over bill that would bar payment networks from flagging firearms retailers
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Summary
Rep. Riley Moore's Protecting Privacy and Purchases Act (H.R. 11181) was debated at length; supporters argued dedicated merchant category codes (MCCs) for firearms retailers threaten privacy and could create a de facto registry, while opponents and gun-safety advocates said MCCs help detect suspicious purchase patterns tied to mass shootings. The committee adopted the substitute; an amendment to preserve state options was rejected in voice vote.
The committee debated HR 11181, the Protecting Privacy and Purchases Act, which would prohibit payment card networks and covered entities from assigning merchant category codes that distinguish firearms retailers from general merchandise or sporting-goods retailers. Supporters framed the bill as a privacy and Second Amendment protection, arguing that MCCs could be used to create de facto tracking of lawful purchasers and chill constitutionally protected activity.
Opponents, including Ranking Member Waters and other Democrats, called the bill "harmful" in the wake of recent mass shootings and argued that MCCs can be a tool to identify suspicious purchasing patterns and help law enforcement and prevention efforts. Waters and others cited investigations linking some mass shooters' pre-attack spending patterns to later attacks and urged members to consider the potential public-safety benefits of payment-industry data.
Representative Liccardo offered an amendment to strike the federal preemption and instead defer to states that wish to adopt or prohibit firearms MCCs; the amendment failed on voice and recorded votes. The substitute amendment in the nature of a substitute was adopted by the committee and ordered to be reported; a recorded vote on final reporting was requested and postponed.
The exchange produced emotional floor-style debate with references to recent tragedies and letters from gun-safety groups submitted for the record. Members on both sides emphasized privacy, state policy experimentation, and the limits of private-sector surveillance.
Action: Committee adopted the amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 11181 and ordered the bill favorably reported; recorded votes were requested and later tabulated for committee actions.
