Visa, Mastercard, AmEx making it easier to track gun sales

Visa Inc. said over the weekend that it plans to start separately categorizing sales at gun shops.

The move is considered a major victory for gun control advocates who claim that better tracking of gun sales may help prevent future mass shootings. Other major payment processors, including Mastercard and American Express, have also said they plan to move forward with categorizing gun shop sales.

Visa said it would adopt the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) new merchant code for gun sales, reports the Associated Press. Until now, gun store sales were considered “general merchandise.” The code will show where an individual spends money but not what items were purchased, writes Reuters.

“Following ISO’s decision to establish a new merchant category code, Visa will proceed with next steps, while ensuring we protect all legal commerce on the Visa network in accordance with our long-standing rules,” Visa said in a statement. Visa will likely put pressure on the banks to adopt the standard as well, according to the AP.- READ MORE