AN ACT relating to the protection of constitutional rights; prohibiting the disclosure or use of information relating to firearms and ammunition sales as specified; providing requirements for disclosure of information relating to firearms and ammunition sales; requiring investigations as specified; authorizing civil actions as specified; authorizing criminal and civil penalties; providing and amending definitions; and providing for an effective date.
HB0097 would prohibit state and local governments, political subdivisions, and other persons from creating or maintaining lists, records, or registries of privately owned firearms or firearm owners when those records are tied to a firearms-related merchant category code or similar payment-card coding. The bill also bars merchant servicers from assigning or requiring a firearms code, or other merchant category codes that distinguish Wyoming merchants from general merchandise or sporting goods retailers based on firearms sales, and it prohibits discriminatory treatment of lawful firearms-related transactions.
The bill defines key terms such as firearm, ammunition, firearm accessory or component, merchant, payment card, and merchant servicer, and it extends its coverage to lawful purchases of firearms, accessories, components, and ammunition. It creates criminal penalties for knowing violations, authorizes the attorney general to investigate and seek injunctions, allows affected merchants or customers to bring actions if the attorney general does not act, and permits civil penalties for continued noncompliance after an injunction. The act would take effect immediately upon becoming law.
HB0097 would amend Wyoming’s financial privacy and firearms-related statutes to restrict the use of payment-card data and merchant category codes in ways that could identify lawful firearms purchases or firearms retailers. It would add a misdemeanor penalty for knowing violations, expand the attorney general’s enforcement authority, and create a private right of action for merchants and customers affected by alleged violations. The bill would also limit state and local cooperation with federal or other laws, orders, or regulations that create or maintain firearms-related registries through merchant coding.
The available voting history suggests the bill had substantial support in the House, passing introduction and referral overwhelmingly and then receiving a favorable 6-1 recommendation from the House Appropriations Committee. No committee transcripts were provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate detailed arguments for or against the measure. The final status shows it was not considered for Committee of the Whole, indicating the bill did not advance beyond committee consideration at that point.
The main point of contention appears to be the bill’s restriction on merchant category codes and payment-card data, which supporters likely view as necessary to protect Second Amendment rights and prevent de facto firearms registries, while opponents may view as an intrusion into financial compliance, fraud monitoring, or private-sector payment processing practices. The bill also raises enforcement concerns by empowering the attorney general, authorizing private lawsuits, and imposing criminal and civil penalties. Another likely area of dispute is the breadth of the prohibition on discrimination against firearms retailers and customers, including limits on declining transactions or charging higher fees based on firearms-related coding.