Critical Response Fund:
Help us take on the financial industry
Guns Down America has been working for years to help create a system that would identify the suspicious purchasing patterns used by mass shooters and firearm traffickers before they commit their crimes. Visa, American Express, Mastercard, and Discover are standing in the way of our efforts and your support is critical to pushing this project forward.
What is this campaign about?
For decades, mass shooters and gun traffickers have relied on bank credit to obtain large quantities of firearms and ammunition. Our nation's financial institutions know that these criminals exploit their systems, but they've done little to stop them.
In 2017, the shooter who killed 60 people in Las Vegas, NV charged $94,000 on credit cards to purchase guns and ammunition over a period of 12 months.
In 2016, the shooter who killed 49 people in Orlando, FL charged $26,000 on credit cards to purchase guns and ammunition in just 12 days. All the while, the killer Googled “credit card unusual spending,” “FBI,” “Credit card reports all three bureaus,” and “why banks stop your purchases.”
In 2012, the shooter who killed 12 people in Aurora, CO charged $9,000 on credit cards to purchase guns, ammunition, and body armor in just 2 months.
Banks can and must flag such suspicious activity in the same way that they report known patterns of identity theft, fraud, or human trafficking to law enforcement officials. But to do so, the nation’s standalone gun and ammunition stores need to be categorized under a new and unique Merchant Category Code within the financial system. Currently, gun stores are categorized as "sporting goods" or "general merchandise" because no specific label existed.
In September of 2022, Guns Down America, Giffords, and Brady successful petitioned the International Organization for Standardization to create a new Merchant Category Code to properly label gun stores in financial databases. The implementation of this code is the essential first step towards creating a system that would flag suspicious purchases.
Visa, American Express, Mastercard, and Discover all publicly agreed to implement the code. But in March of 2023 they flip-flopped, announcing a pause in their implementation strategy due to state-based pressure from GOP lawmakers. This is simply unacceptable, and Guns Down America is working to hold them accountable for this shortsighted decision.
To learn more about this campaign and see all relevant content and past updates, visit our campaign page dedicated to this effort.
Your donation will help Guns Down America to:
- Drive calls, emails, and on-the-ground actions urging the major credit card companies to play their part in preventing mass shootings.
- Run ads to raise awareness of this critical issue.
- Build a large, diverse coalition that can hold credit card companies accountable for empowering mass shooters.
With your support, we can win this battle and move toward a safer future where law enforcement is empowered to detect mass shooters and gun traffickers before they commit their crimes.
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