Democrat Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has signed legislation that will require credit card companies to track purchases of firearms and ammunition with credit cards, a scheme opposed by Second Amendment activists and organizations as backdoor gun registration.
According to KDVR News in Denver, which labeled gun control proponents as “gun reform advocates,” the bill requires credit card companies to “apply a specific code” to such purchases. This “merchant category code” was pushed by state Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Democrat whose son was killed in the Aurora theater rampage. He was joined by state Reps, Javier Mabrey and Meg Froelich.
The new legislation could simply compel gun and ammunition buyers to either pay cash or write a check, or possibly use a cashier’s check. Many in the firearms community consider such legislation an egregious invasion of privacy.
Both the National Shooting Sports Foundation and National Rifle Association last years vigorously opposed this type of legislation. Last year, four major credit card companies actually paused efforts to create a Merchant Category Code (MCC) for such purchases.
A legislative description of the new law notes that violators could be fined up to $10,000 per infraction, and face an injunction. The state attorney general has sole authority to enforce this new law. The law kicks in next year, while credit card companies must make the code available to retailers starting Sept. 1, while the codes will be assigned and tracked beginning May 1, 2025, KDVR explained.
While the gun prohibition lobby is hailing the governor’s bill signing, there are definitely critics. KKTV News found one in Colorado Springs. Firearms dealer Paul Paradis, confirmed more people are paying with cash rather than credit cards.
Paradis reportedly told the station this new law is like something straight out of the George Orwell classic “1984.” The gun dealer simply observed the story line arrived 40 years late.
This isn’t the only anti-gun legislation signed by Polis. A few days ago, as detailed by the Colorado News Line, he also signed Senate Bill 23-170, which allows mental health professionals, district attorneys, educators and medical professionals to petition judges in order to disarm “potentially dangerous persons.” It expands the scope of Colorado’s “red flag” law and might land Colorado on the radar of the Second Amendment Foundation. Last year, SAF launched its “Capture the Flag” project aimed at finding abuses of “red flag” laws, with the pilot effort focusing on six states, California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington. The biggest concern about such laws is about due process.
Another bill signed by Polis was Senate Bill 23-168, which opens up gun dealers and manufacturers to lawsuits by repealing a law which limited product liability actions against manufacturers, according to a state legislative description.
Polis also signed Senate Bill 23-169, which raises the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21 years. According to the state website, “The act makes the unlawful purchase of a firearm by a person who is less than 21 years of age a class 2 misdemeanor and makes it unlawful for a licensed or unlicensed gun dealer to facilitate such a sale.”
Still another affront to gun owners came when Polis signed House Bill 23-1219, which imposes a three-day waiting period on gun purchases. In Colorado, as well as Maine where Gov. Janet Mills signed a similar measure last week, the bill’s supporters argued the 72-hour wait creates a “cooling-off period” to prevent spur-of-the-moment tragedies. Under this bill, cities reportedly can increase the waiting period in their jurisdictions, as reported by the Colorado News Line. Backers of this bill were also all Democrats.
The waiting period bill raises concerns that such waits will be extended to ridiculous lengths, thus presenting grounds for legal challenge, since government simply cannot postpone indefinitely the exercise of a constitutionally protected fundamental right.
Colorado News Line is already reporting that the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners is moving to challenge the waiting period and minimum age laws in court.
There are still concerns about an attempt to ban so-called “assault weapons” before the May 8 legislative adjournment.
In recent years, Colorado has changed its gun laws, even repealing state preemption, as Democrats have captured and retained legislative control.
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
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