BFA testifies in favor of SB 148, Sen. Johnson's bill to prohibit tracking firearms purchases

On Jan. 23, 2024, Buckeye Firearms Association provided testimony in favor of Senate Bill 148.

This bill seeks to prevent the tracking of purchases at firearms retailers, which would not only invade the privacy of law-abiding citizens, but could easily lead to the compilation of gun owner lists which government could access.

Background on this topic: Bullying from anti-gun senators, AGs mounts for firearms purchase tracking

BFA applauds Sen. Johnson's proactive work on this gross violation of rights and privacy, and urges committee members to pass this bill and bring it to the Senate floor for a vote.

This is the third, and likely last hearing on this bill.

Here is the text of BFA's testimony:

To: Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee
From: Rob Sexton, Legislative Affairs Director, Buckeye Firearms Association
Date: January 23, 2024
Re: Support for SB 148

Mr. Chairman, members of the Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee, I am providing testimony on behalf of Buckeye Firearms Association to speak in favor of Senate Bill 148.

Senate Bill 148 would prevent the financial industry from creating a code specifically aimed at purchases from firearms retailers. This latest, terrible idea would allow for the tracking of firearms purchases, which could then be monitored by financial companies. Government agencies could then later request or even require credit card processors to turn this information over, and it would then function similar to a registration list, which of course firearm owners strongly oppose.

Currently most banking organizations also oppose the creation of this specific code aimed at firearms retailers, but of course this could change in today’s world, where companies are increasingly pressured to score better on an Environmental, Social, & Governance scale.

Coding purchases from firearm retailers is a gross invasion of privacy concerning a constitutionally protected right. It is also an imprecise method of compiling information. Most firearm retailers also sell items unrelated to firearms such as other sporting goods and even clothing. All of these would still be coded as a purchase from a gun dealer. Conversely firearms sold at a major big box department store such as Walmart would not be coded as a purchase from a firearm retailer.

Buckeye Firearms Association opposes the creation of a Merchant Category Code for gun purchases, and we call on 2nd Amendment supporters in the General Assembly to take action to prevent the compiling of such information from Ohioans. Senate Bill 148 addresses this concern. We are pleased to support Senator Terry Johnson on this legislation, and we join the National Shooting Sports Foundation as proponents, asking this committee to advance this bill for consideration by the full Senate.