Open Letter: Credit Card Gun Purchase Tracking In New York

This is a slippery slope. New York lawmakers support a new code that will allow credit card companies to track gun purchases in the state. A vote by the International Organization for Standardization, an international standards body, now allows credit card companies to track customers' gun purchases from firearms dealers. It's similar to how they track your purchases at grocery stores or gas stations. Up to this point, gun purchases never had their own code. In order to make the move to create a new code, credit card companies had to present it to the International Organization for Standardization, according to Gothamist.

Many New York lawmakers and state leadership had expressed their support of the code by sending letters to leadership at the major credit card companies. The pension system in New York City, as well as the Mayor of New York, support the measure also.

Could This New Gun Purchase Credit Card Code Open The Door To Other Monitoring

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I'm not a conspiracy theory nut, by any means, but this new code is a bit worrisome when it comes to privacy. Where does it end? Will another group influence credit card companies to vote for a code to identify abortions? Or what about some other political hot button? Are we entering the beginnings of a dystopian society, where every controversial purchase we make can be assigned a code? Will those codes then be shared with political groups, government organizations, law enforcement, or some big brother watchdog?

While gun safety advocates celebrate this decision, there are potentially far-reaching implications. So many people use credit cards to purchase everything, including items that are controversial. This move could potentially open the door for hyper-tracking of these items. Could this move prompt pro-life advocates lobby for the International Organization for Standardization to create a code specifically for abortions or birth control purchases?

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When lawmakers of the political party du jour are able to use their influence to create lasting monitoring systems of everyday people's purchases, we start crossing into the potential makings of a dystopian society. I know, it seems far-fetched, but hear me out. It sets precedent. When the next political party is in power it could use its influence to do the same thing for purchases it wants monitored. It brings up so many questions about privacy and government reach (or overreach).

Many people who want to buy guns may use cash to make their purchases now to prevent tracking. If they feel forced to use cash or another currency that can't be tracked they could end up making purchases that are less-than-savory. This new code could potentially drive legal gun owners into underground markets, just to avoid having their privacy invaded.

Just remember, it's a slippery slope.