Governor Kathy Hochul has solidified her reputation as one of the most anti-gun governors in the country, and it’s not just rhetoric—her actions speak louder than words. Her latest move, signing into law S.8479, is a glaring example of her relentless push against the rights of law-abiding gun owners. This bill, which mandates payment processors to assign specific merchant category codes (MCCs) to firearm and ammunition transactions, is nothing short of a thinly veiled attempt to track, monitor, and potentially create a backdoor gun registry. Let’s be real: this isn’t about public safety—it’s about control.
The implications of this legislation are chilling. By forcing payment processors like Visa and Mastercard to categorize these transactions separately, Hochul is laying the groundwork for financial institutions and the government to monitor gun owners more closely. This is a dangerous precedent, not just for Second Amendment rights but for the privacy rights of all Americans. Imagine if other lawful transactions were suddenly singled out for special scrutiny based on political whims. It’s a slippery slope.
Governor Hochul’s agenda is clear. This bill is not a standalone piece of legislation—it’s part of a much larger anti-gun crusade. Hochul’s administration has relentlessly attacked the rights of law-abiding gun owners since she took office. This is the same governor who, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision striking down New York’s unconstitutional concealed carry law in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, scrambled to pass even more restrictive gun laws. These new measures created absurd obstacles for lawful gun owners to navigate, requiring applicants for concealed carry permits to submit their social media history, complete expanded background checks, and face arbitrary government decisions about “good moral character.”
Hochul’s signing of the MCC bill ties in directly with the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 2022 decision to approve a specific code for firearm retailers, distinguishing them from other types of sporting goods stores. What does this mean? It means banks and payment processors can now more easily track and flag purchases made at gun shops. This is dangerous, not just for Second Amendment rights but also for privacy. Who’s to say that this information won’t be shared with government agencies or used to restrict access to legal firearms in the future? Gun control advocates may call this “common sense,” but we know it for what it is—a stepping stone to gun registries and restrictions on gun ownership.
What’s even more infuriating is the timing of this move. Hochul signed the bill just weeks before a critical general election, making it clear that this is about pandering to anti-gun activists rather than actually addressing crime or public safety. If Governor Hochul truly cared about reducing gun violence, she would focus on enforcing laws against actual criminals, not infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens who simply want to protect themselves and their families.
The bottom line is this: Hochul is leading the charge for anti-gun Democrats who are far more interested in political theater than real solutions. Her administration is a nightmare for New York’s gun owners, and her actions serve as a stark reminder of why elections matter. Gun owners must understand that their rights are on the line, and Hochul is more than willing to erode them one law at a time. The fight for the Second Amendment doesn’t just happen in the courts—it happens at the ballot box. Freedom-loving Americans need to vote, and they need to vote now, because Kathy Hochul and her allies aren’t going to stop until they’ve dismantled your right to bear arms.
