New York State Adopts a Gun Sales Code

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Wednesday would require the use of a special transaction code to flag the sales of firearms and ammunition. The initiative, whose underlying idea is something Andrew has written about for years, has been gaining traction among gun-control advocates but has proved politically polarizing.

What New York is adopting: The bill would make gun-focused stores use a special merchant category code created in 2022 by the International Organization for Standardization. The state’s attorney general would be empowered to enforce the law, with potential fines up to $10,000.

“New York is establishing a common standard for all industries and ensuring that obviously suspicious patterns of firearm purchases can be detected,” said Zellnor Myrie, a New York state senator and the sponsor of the legislation.