By Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves, Capital News Service

RICHMOND, Va. -- Gun rights advocates fear a new merchant code for firearm purchases is an unnecessary attack on their civil liberties, while gun safety advocates say the code just levels the playing field.

The International Standards Organization approved last month a petition from New York-based Amalgamated Bank for a new merchant code. The ISO is Geneva-based nonprofit with global members who establish best practices across a range of subjects, according to its website.

The new code categorizes gun sales at gun and ammunition stores, which will allow banks to report suspicious activity and illegal gun sales, according to a press release from Priscilla Sims Brown, president and CEO of Amalgamated Bank.

Visa, Mastercard and American Express credit cards plan to adopt the new code, according to multiple reports, though it is unclear how widespread implementation will work. 

“This action answers the call of millions of Americans who want safety from gun violence and we are proud to have led the broad coalition of advocates, shareholders, and elected officials that achieved this historic outcome,” Brown stated. 

Credit card providers categorize purchases under merchant category codes, or MCCs, that classify businesses by their predominant business activity, according to the IRS. Categories cover many industries, including many types of building contractors, travel and leisure services, entertainment and recreation, and even escort services.

A Mastercard reference booklet from 2020 listed firearms under the MCC “durable goods — not elsewhere classified.” Other items in the same MCC include wood chips and musical instruments. Firearms and ammunition stores also appear in the same booklet under the MCC “miscellaneous and specialty retail stores,” along with sunglasses shops, magic stores and beauty supply stores.

The new code allows for the separate categorization of firearm purchases.

The Virginia Citizens Defense League lobbies the General Assembly for “good gun rights” and to stop gun control measures, according to Philip Van Cleave, the organization’s president. 

“Gun owners are not in the mood for anything that — in any way, shape or form — implies that we’re being monitored, or our rights are attempted to be curtailed,” Van Cleave said.

The code will not be useful for gun control, Van Cleave said.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares joined 23 other attorneys general from across the country in a letter against the new merchant category. Miyares is against the collection and tracking of private data by “big government and big businesses,” his office stated in an email comment.

“This new policy will do little more than put Virginians’ privacy at risk,” Miyares stated, “and discourage law-abiding citizens from exercising their constitutional right to purchase a firearm.”

The purchase of firearms should be “no one’s business but their own,” Miyares stated.

“To reduce gun violence, we need to get violent, repeat offenders off our streets instead of tracking lawful purchases at Bass Pro Shop,” Miyares stated.

The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, an organization that works to prevent gun violence through legislation, offered research to Amalgamated Bank in the development of the category code. There shouldn’t be “special treatment” for gun stores since the same rules already apply to other businesses, according to Adam Skaggs, chief council and policy director at the Giffords Law Center.

This code won’t necessarily lead to any new laws, rather it levels the playing field, Skaggs said. However, it could help detect illegal activities like gun trafficking, according to Skaggs.

Gun rights advocates worry the code may flag, or not be able to distinguish, high-dollar purchases from stores that sell firearms. Van Cleave used the example of a boat purchased from a store that also sells firearms, and voiced concern over the possibility of unnecessary scrutiny. 

The code is for gun stores and stores that sell firearms and ammunition. Stores that sell other merchandise, like Bass Pro Shops and Walmart, could have “dedicated cash registers” to use the code and keep purchases separate, Skaggs stated. Pharmacies, Skaggs pointed out, keep track of separate transactions for prescription drugs and general merchandise.

“I do think it’s a tool, and given the levels of gun violence and how much illegal gun trafficking and gun crime we see in this country, every tool that should be used to improve the situation is a way that we should pursue,” Skaggs stated.

The “small change” could help prevent huge tragedies, said Nick Suplina at a New York press conference announcing the new code. Suplina is the vice president of policy and law with Everytown for Gun Safety. He pointed to the thousands of dollars spent on guns and ammunition used in the mass shootings in Aurora, Colorado; Orlando, Florida; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Such expensive and multiple purchases could in theory be flagged under the new code, Suplina said.

Virginia had a firearm mortality death rate of approximately 13 people per 100,000 in 2020, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The lowest ranked state was Hawaii, with a mortality rate of approximately three people per 100,000. The highest ranked state was Mississippi, with approximately 29 deaths per 100,000.

Attorneys general for all but one of the top 10 states with the highest firearm mortality rate signed the letter expressing concern over use of the merchant code, according to an analysis by Capital News Service.

The idea that credit card companies will try to block lawful gun purchases couldn’t be “further from the truth,” Skaggs said. The merchant code is not a method to keep tabs on individuals, as the code does not provide product specific data, but could ultimately help law enforcement with investigations, he said.

“You would think the chief law enforcement officer of the commonwealth of Virginia, the attorney general, would side with law enforcement instead of mass shooters, but apparently that’s not the case,” Skaggs said.

By Cassandra Loper, Capital News Service

RICHMOND, Va. -- Roughly three years ago, Maria Reynoso determined local policy issues and election information were not readily available or easily digestible to the average voter, and especially younger voters. 

Reynoso now runs We Vote Virginia, a nonpartisan digital media resource to help voters become more informed. 

“What my focus when creating the organization, and I guess my mission, was really to make it incredibly accessible and fun and engaging to learn about local politics,” Reynoso said. 

The most critical change happens in local and state politics, according to Reynoso. Virginia voter turnout traditionally drops off between presidential elections. Candidates are vying for U.S. House of Representatives seats in Congress this year, with other local races and initiatives on the ballot throughout the state’s districts.

Political organizers and candidates are watching to see if they pull younger voters to the polls in an election that could change the balance of power in Congress. They hope that more education on the importance of voting, and how to vote, can develop a consistent habit among young voters whose participation can be a wildcard.

Virginia Commonwealth University’s VCU Votes Student Coalition is a network of the university’s students, faculty and staff that promote voter engagement on campus, according to the VCU Votes website.

“Younger voters are considered a wildcard because they're still very new to voting, and I think also, they're still new to the democratic process as a whole,” said Cameron Hart, director of partnerships for VCU Votes Student Coalition.

Young voters understand the urgency of issues, such as climate change, according to Hart, and it can motivate them to the polls. 

Both the Democratic and Republican parties of Virginia could do more in terms of encouraging young people to vote by making appearances on college campuses, Hart said.

Generation X, millennials and Generation Z make up over 46% of the Virginia population, according to American Community Survey data by the U.S. Census Bureau. That percentage is totaled from the provided categories of ages 20-54, although the generations are ages 10-57. Gen Z and millennial eligible voters ages 20-44 account for over a third of the population, based on the census data. 

Virginia young voter turnout ages 18-29 has been a mixed bag in the past few elections, according to Tufts Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE. That age group is most commonly used by researchers, versus a precise snapshot of voter participation by generation. 

• The 18-29 voter turnout more than doubled in the 2018 midterm election, according to CIRCLE (13% to 33%). Virginia voters are inconsistent when it comes to midterm elections, in general. Since 2000, anywhere from almost 32% to almost 60% of voters participated, according to the Virginia Department of Elections website.

• The 18-29 voter turnout was 56% in Virginia in 2020, according to CIRCLE, up from 48% in 2016. Voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election was the highest turnout of the 21st century, overall. 

•  The 18-29 voter turnout decreased in the 2021 gubernatorial election, according to CIRCLE, from 34% in 2017 to 27%. 

Social media is a great way to engage young voters, according to Reynoso. The We Vote VA Instagram account launched in late 2019. The account now has nearly 16,000 followers and is one of the organization's primary methods of reaching voters. It features easy to read and visually appealing posts containing information about polling locations, important dates, redistricting background and more. The concept is to inform and help create a habit of voting.

“It is so important that young voters know their facts,” Ellie Sorensen, press secretary for the Republican Party of Virginia, stated in an email.

Young voters may think their vote doesn’t matter because some policy issues might not directly impact them, according to Sorensen. 

“Sometimes, voters just vote based on what other people around them vote, but if they are taught the importance of voting and the facts about what they are actually voting for, it will encourage younger people to vote,” Sorensen stated.

Voting can become a habit, especially when voters can see the “good it can do,” according to Gianni Snidle, press secretary for the Democratic Party of Virginia. 

“If we’re not actively participating in our democracy, then we’re failing,” Snidle said.

Nonprofit organization Rock the Vote has worked to make voting a habit among young voters since 1990. It launched with a public service announcement featuring singer, songwriter and actress Madonna.

Rock the Vote serves as a one-stop shop for all things voting, Carolyn DeWitt, president and executive director of Rock the Vote, stated in an email. Voters can check registration status, request an absentee ballot, get election reminders and view election deadlines through the website.

The organization had direct channels to young voters through their partnership with MTV, and through concert venues where the organization would register people to vote. 

Rock the Vote has adapted through the decades and was the first to launch an online voter registration platform in the late ‘90s, according to an L.A. Times report. The organization reports that they’ve helped register 14 million people to vote. 

The new generation of voters are extraordinarily in touch with their values, according to DeWitt.

“But over the past few years, they’ve witnessed our political culture become increasingly volatile and our democracy threatened on multiple counts,” DeWitt stated.

Young people know their value and they keep showing up despite the obstacles put before them, according to DeWitt.

State lawmakers have made voting more accessible in recent years. Virginia voters are no longer required to show photo identification at the polls. Voters can prove their identity with things such as a driver’s license, passport, college student ID and even a current bank statement or utility bill that contains the voter's name and address. Same-day voter registration can be done up to and on Election Day, although voters receive a provisional ballot.

Voters can find local polling places and request an absentee ballot on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

Early voting started Sept. 23 and will end on Nov. 5. Absentee ballots must be requested by Oct. 28 and postmarked by Election Day on Nov. 8.

(EMPORIA, VA) – District 4 Emporia City Councilwoman Carla Harris, who was appointed to the city council seat to finish out the term of her late husband, Woodrow “Woody” Harris, has made a major announcement regarding her future plans.

“I am not running in this election to keep the seat after the term expires in January 2023,” she said. Woody Harris, who was unopposed in his bid for re-election this November, died suddenly September 9 of a heart attack. His wife was sworn in within days after his death to complete his term and had the option to run for election.

Because the filing and qualification periods to run for the seat have already passed, voting must be done by write in. Election day is Tuesday, November 8. Early voting has already started.

“I encourage the residents of District 4 to vote their conscience and write in the name of someone you feel will properly and effectively represent you and put the needs of you – the voter – first. That’s what Woody did for his 34 years on city council. I would like to see his legacy of selfless public service continue.”

Harris added, “I’m extremely grateful to the residents, Mayor of Emporia, City Council, leadership and staff for their support, encouragement, and guidance during my time on council and hope I serve in a way that properly honors my late husband and those who live in District 4.”