Wyoming House Bill HB0108

Wyoming 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/16/25
• Failed: 3/3/25

Caption

Firearm purchase protections.

Summary

HB0108 would prohibit payment processors, merchant acquirers, payment settlement entities, and related financial institutions from assigning firearms or ammunition sellers a merchant category code that distinguishes them from general merchandise retailers or sporting goods retailers, except where federal law requires otherwise. In practical terms, the bill bars the use of a special merchant code for firearm or ammunition merchants and allows them to be coded like broader retail categories instead. The bill also amends Wyoming law governing financial institutions to state that a financial institution may not discriminate against a firearm entity because it is engaged in the lawful commerce of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition products. It includes a misdemeanor penalty of $1,000 per prohibited code assignment or per prohibited classification instance, and it applies prospectively while preserving existing contracts until renewal, extension, or modification after July 1, 2025.

Impact

HB0108 would add a new chapter to Wyoming statutes governing merchant codes and would expand existing anti-discrimination protections for firearm-related businesses in the financial services context. It affects banks, payment card networks, acquirers, payment settlement entities, and third-party settlement organizations by restricting how they classify firearms and ammunition merchants. The bill also creates a new criminal penalty and requires conforming changes to existing financial institution law, with an effective date of July 1, 2025.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the available record suggests the bill was introduced as a pro-firearms-business measure with no documented public debate in the supplied context. The sponsorship list indicates support from a substantial group of House members and one senator, which suggests at least some legislative backing for the proposal. However, because no committee discussion or vote history is included, broader sentiment within the legislature cannot be determined from the provided materials alone.

Contention

The main point of contention likely concerns whether the state should limit how financial institutions and payment networks classify firearms merchants, especially in light of concerns about data tracking, reputational risk, and potential discrimination versus arguments that such coding is a neutral risk-management or compliance tool. Another likely issue is the bill’s enforcement mechanism: it imposes a misdemeanor fine for each prohibited code assignment or classification, which could be viewed as a strong regulatory penalty. The bill also expressly carves out compliance with federal law and preserves existing contracts until renewal or modification, which may reflect attempts to address legal and operational concerns.