WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) released the below statement following the news that Visa, American Express, and Mastercard will pause implementation of new, separate merchant category codes (MCCs) for firearms sales under the International Organization for Standardizations (ISO) guidelines. This announcement follows Senator Capito’s September 2022 letter to the credit card companies expressing strong concern for the possible implementation.
“I’m pleased to see that Visa, American Express, and Mastercard have all heeded my concern, and paused the implementation of new, separate MCCs for firearms sales. Had the implementation moved forward, the ability of lawful Americans to exercise their constitutional Second Amendment rights could have been threatened. This pause ensures that West Virginians can continue to exercise their constitutional rights, without fear of reprisal or invasion of their privacy. I will continue to defend the Second Amendment rights of people in the Mountain State, and advocate that each company rejects the implementation of the code outright.” Senator Capito said.
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