Washington, DC - Congressman Van Drew joined Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and 99 other Republican colleagues in sending letters to Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, demanding answers as to why they agreed to implement a classification of gun stores that could be used as a tool to infringe on American's Second Amendment right. 

"I have been, and always will be, a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment," said Congressman Van Drew. "As a gun owner myself, this decision by the credit card companies is an infringement on our constitutional rights, and grants too much authority to banks by allowing them to flag purchases they deem 'suspicious.' It is obvious that this decision was enacted as a tool to eventually limit Americans ability to bear arms. I will always stand up for South Jerseyans and all Americans constitutional right to keep and bear arms and oppose any attempt to flag law-abiding citizens making legal purchases."  

Background:

Visa, MasterCard, and American Express announced that they will be implementing a new firearm-specific Merchant Category Code (MCC). The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) created this code at the request of Amalgamated Bank, which is a self-described socialist bank. 

MCC's classify merchants and businesses by the goods or services they offer. From the creation of this new MCC, any purchase made at a gun store could be flagged as "suspicious." 

Read the full text of the letter here.