No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section prohibits payment card networks from requiring firearms retailers to use, and covered entities (i.e., entities that establish relationships with merchants for processing credit, debit, or prepaid transactions) from assigning, a merchant category code (MCC) that distinguishes firearms retailers from general merchandise or sporting goods retailers. (A firearms retailer is a person or entity engaged in the lawful business of selling or trading firearms—i.e., items described in specified paragraphs of 18 U.S.C. §921(a)—or ammunition for such firearms; an MCC is a multi-digit code classifying merchants by business type for payment processing.) The section directs the Attorney General to enforce the prohibition by (1) establishing within 90 days of enactment a process for submitting complaints of violations, (2) investigating all such complaints and any other potential violations, (3) issuing written notice of confirmed violations requiring remedy within 30 days, and (4) seeking a federal court injunction if not remedied. (Thus, enforcement relies solely on the Department of Justice, as the section provides no private right of action and preempts state or local laws regulating MCCs for firearms retailers.) The section further requires the Attorney General to submit to Congress, not later than one year after enactment and annually thereafter, a report on the number of investigations, summaries of their dispositions, and data on the Act's effectiveness.