In a pivotal House Judiciary Committee meeting on March 12, 2025, Delaware lawmakers discussed the implementation of a new merchant category code (MCC) specifically for firearms retailers, a move aimed at enhancing the monitoring of suspicious financial transactions linked to gun purchases. This initiative, established by the International Organization for Standardization in 2022, is designed to help law enforcement identify potential gun crimes and human trafficking activities.

The meeting featured testimony from Hudson Munoz, executive director of Guns Down America, who emphasized the importance of these codes in detecting patterns of financial behavior that could indicate criminal activity. Munoz highlighted that the MCC for firearms retailers allows financial institutions to flag unusual purchasing behaviors, such as multiple transactions at different gun stores within a short period, which could suggest illicit activities.

"This is not a registry," Munoz clarified. "It's a law enforcement tool that helps identify suspicious behavior based on transaction patterns." He pointed out that similar algorithms have successfully been used to combat fraud and human trafficking, suggesting they could be adapted to detect gun trafficking as well.

Liddy Ballard from the Coalition for Safer Delaware echoed these sentiments, noting that the introduction of this MCC aligns the gun industry with other sectors that already comply with such monitoring systems. She argued that the data collected could have potentially prevented past tragedies by identifying concerning purchasing patterns before they escalated into violence.

The committee's discussions underscored the urgency of addressing gun violence in Delaware, with lawmakers expressing hope that this new system could serve as a proactive measure to protect citizens. As the state moves forward with this initiative, the implications for both gun retailers and law enforcement will be closely monitored, with the aim of fostering a safer community.