January 16, 2026
Mr. Frost introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
To prohibit States from prohibiting or otherwise deterring the usage of any merchant category code established by the International Organization for Standardization, including codes that identify firearm merchants and ammunition merchants.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Merchant Codes Can Save Lives Act
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Sec. 2. Preemption relating to merchant category codes
Section 5313 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting after subsection (g) the following:
(h) Merchant category code usage
(1) In general
No State may prohibit or otherwise deter the usage of any merchant category code established by the International Organization for Standardization for identifying firearm merchants or payment card transactions involving the purchase of a firearm, firearm ammunition, ammunition components for use with firearms, or firearm accessories.
(2) Enforcement
The Attorney General may bring a civil action in the appropriate district court to enforce this subsection.