Gillibrand urges DOJ, Treasury Dept. to help fight gun trafficking
NEW YORK (WABC) -- There was a call Sunday on the Department of Justice and Treasury Department to help fight gun trafficking.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand wants the Federal government to start using the new merchant category code for firearm retailers.
Until recently, purchases from gun stores and dealers were labeled as 'sporting goods or miscellaneous,' making it impossible for law enforcement to monitor suspicious purchasing patterns.
In September, a new merchant code was created for gun retailers.
Now, Gillibrand wants the DOJ and treasury department to come up with a way for financial institutions to formally report suspicious activity to law enforcement.
Gillibrand says if merchant codes for gun and ammunition stores had been in place, it may have helped law enforcement stop some of our country's worst mass shooting tragedies.
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According to the New York Times, between 2007 and 2018, there were 13 mass shootings that killed 10 or more people. Of those 13 shootings, the killers financed their attacks with credit cards in eight of them.
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