Press Release

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis issued the following statement upon Governor Ron DeSantis signing of SB 214 into law. The Legislation bans financial institutions from generating reports for the purchase of arms, and ammunition, sales for arms dealers. The information report could be used to target Americans and businesses who legally purchase, and sell, firearms and ammunition.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “The 2^nd Amendment is enshrined in the Constitution, so while Blue States and big companies may work overtime to infringe on this protected right, Florida is setting up safeguards to fight back. With Governor DeSantis signing this Legislation into law, my office will begin notifying affected parties, like credit companies, financial institutions and the International Organization for Standardization, based in Geneva Switzerland, that attempts to create merchant category codes for firearms sellers is against the law and will not be tolerated.”

In Summer of 2022, the CFO called on credit card companies to abandon the reporting mechanism, or he would support efforts to ban the merchant carrier code.

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About CFO Jimmy Patronis  
Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is a statewide elected official and a member of Florida’s Cabinet who oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Patronis works each day to fight insurance fraud, support Florida’s firefighters, and ensure the state’s finances are stable to support economic growth in the state. Follow the activities of the Department on Facebook (FLDFS) and Twitter (@FLDFS).