- U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday called on federal regulators to issue guidance to speed the adoption of a new merchant category code (MCC) by payment networks to identify firearms sellers.
- The letter will add fuel to a debate over the new codes, approved by the Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in September to help detect suspicious firearms and ammunition sales to combat gun violence.
- Their implementation was paused by major payment networks including Visa Inc and Mastercard Inc last week. The companies cited opposition from Republican politicians working to pass state laws to limit the codes’ use. The Republicans say the codes could be used to improperly track gun purchases.