Committee advances bill restricting merchant-category codes that identify firearm purchases

The Senate Public Safety Committee gave Senate Bill 1058 a due-pass recommendation after a hearing in which proponents framed the measure as a financial-privacy bill rather than a gun-control law.

Staff described SB1058 as prohibiting government entities from knowingly maintaining any list, record or registry of privately owned firearms or firearm owners and restricting payment-card networks and covered entities from assigning or incentivizing merchant category codes that identify firearm retailers. The bill grants enforcement authority to the attorney general or a county attorney and authorizes civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation.

Michael Fanson, managing partner at a policy group representing the Arizona Citizens Defense League, the Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association and the Arizona firearms industry, testified in support and warned that payment-card merchant category codes could be used to assemble ownership profiles without a warrant. "This is a financial privacy bill," he said. "Arizona law already prohibits the state from keeping a registry of privately owned firearms or firearms owners. What has changed is the method."

After public testimony and committee discussion, the committee moved SB1058 and recorded a due-pass recommendation. The bill will proceed to the Senate calendar.