Democrat-Controlled State Orders Credit Card Companies to Monitor Gun Owners

In some states, the Second Amendment is treated like a suggestion—and now, your private financial transactions are fair game, too – at least in New York. Last week, Kathy Hochul signed off on a fresh batch of gun control laws, with one of the most alarming allowing credit card companies to track ammunition purchases. Yes, Big Brother just got a helping hand from American Express.

Hochul is hailing these laws as necessary steps to “keep New Yorkers safe” and has the gall to ask for another $370 million in taxpayer money to fund this crusade against lawful gun ownership. “Public safety is my number one priority,” she said. But let’s translate that: safety from law-abiding citizens who dare exercise their constitutional rights.

One of the laws requires that all firearms and ammo purchases be tagged with a new merchant category code, forcing gun dealers to flag transactions so that banks and the state can track them. Hochul claims this will help identify people “stockpiling ammunition”—because apparently buying a few boxes of ammo for a weekend at the range is now a red flag worthy of government surveillance.

“This is an indicator that something untoward could be happening,” she said. So forget due process. Forget probable cause. Just let Visa and Mastercard tip off the state next time you buy a box of .223.

Assembly Member Michaelle Solages, ever eager to play Orwell’s cheerleader, called the bill a “bold step” and praised the effort to let financial institutions monitor citizens in the name of “public safety.” Right—because nothing says freedom like deputizing your credit card company to report your purchases to the government.

Another gem in this gun control package? Gun stores are now required to provide a “warning label” to customers, complete with a laundry list of scare tactics to make you think twice. It’s like buying a firearm at CVS, but instead of side effects for Tylenol, you’re handed a politically loaded guilt trip.

Let’s be honest—none of this is about safety. It’s about control. It’s about stigmatizing legal gun ownership and building the infrastructure to criminalize it by a thousand cuts. Hochul and her allies aren’t targeting criminals—they’re targeting you. And they’re using your credit card to do it.