(The Center Square) — A new bill is making its way through the Florida Legislature that would prohibit payment processors from discriminating against businesses and citizens who sell or purchase firearms and ammunition in the Sunshine State.
House Bill 221 prohibits credit card companies and banks from assigning special codes to categorize firearms businesses while prohibiting the use of a registry that would keep a record of legal gun owners.
It is similar to a Mississippi bill that was signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves on April 13.
The International Standards Organization, based in Switzerland, recently approved a new code to categorize firearm and ammunition merchants separately from general sporting goods retailers. Firearms and ammunition sales have been classified as sporting goods, which was sufficient for a payment company to process.
The legislation says it is the right of an individual to bear arms and is guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article 1 of the Florida Constitution and that the ISO approved code violates those rights.
The ISO code is able to “flag” firearm and ammunition transactions it deems suspicious, done so to allegedly predict and prevent future gun violence.
Those wanting to purchase a firearm in Florida must undergo a criminal background check, a current state law requirement for firearm and ammunition retailers before they make a sale. This a requirement that will remain in place, even once Florida becomes a full constitutional carry state this coming July.
Lawmakers argue that criminals generally purchase firearms illegally using untraceable cash and cryptocurrency, so credit card companies monitoring legal gun owners does not make a lot of sense.
HB 221 states that there is no way for the ISO code to distinguish between what are suspicious purchases and what are not — whether those sales included a firearm or if they were only general merchandise sold from a firearm retailer.
Firearm retailers and purchasers could be added to a registry — a move that is prohibited by the bill, with the rationale being that law-abiding citizens could be harassed, profiled and cut off from financial institutions because they choose to own a legal firearm. Furthermore, the private information of legal gun owners could end up in the hands of criminals.
The bill further adds that it is not the role of financial institutions, unelected bankers, and foreign organizations to determine the development of regulations for the sale of firearms and ammunition, which enables a person to exercise their Second Amendment right.
If enacted, the law will take effect on July 1 and any agreements or contractual provisions that violate the public policy of Florida — including the use of the ISO code — would become void and will be investigated by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or the State’s Attorney, who have authority to take administrative action.
This article First appeared in the center square
