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SF0105 • 2024

Wyoming Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act.

AN ACT relating to the administration of government; prohibiting disclosure or use of protected information relating to firearms and ammunition sales as specified; providing exceptions; providing requirements for disclosure; authorizing civil actions; providing definitions; and providing for an effective date.

Firearms Privacy
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Senator Laursen, D
Last action
2024-03-22
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2024

Plain English Breakdown

Details about how violations will be enforced and penalties are not specified in the official source material.

Wyoming Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act

This law stops government and private companies from keeping lists of people who buy guns or ammo using special codes, with some exceptions for legal investigations.

What This Bill Does

  • It prohibits any entity or person, public or private, from making a list of privately owned firearms or their owners through the use of a financial firearms code during transactions.
  • It stops merchant service providers from requiring Wyoming merchants who sell guns and ammo to use special codes that identify these sales.
  • It allows people to sue if someone breaks this law.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Merchants selling firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition in Wyoming
  • Government agencies and local governments in Wyoming
  • Private companies involved in financial transactions related to gun sales

Terms To Know

Firearms code
A special code used by merchant service providers to identify firearm-related transactions.
Merchant servicer
An entity that assigns codes for payment card transactions, such as a credit card processor.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not apply to financial institutions or records kept in the normal course of business.
  • It allows accurate record-keeping by law enforcement during investigations involving firearms.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SF0105SS001

Standing Committee • Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment removes certain sections of the bill, modifies definitions related to financial transactions involving firearms and ammunition, and adds new terms like 'merchant servicer' and 'merchant category code'.

  • Removed specific sections from pages 1 through 4.
  • Modified references to credit card processors by replacing them with merchant servicers throughout the bill.
  • Added definitions for 'merchant category code' and 'merchant servicer'.
  • Inserted a new clause allowing accurate firearm record keeping during law enforcement investigations.
  • The amendment text does not provide full context, so some details about the original sections removed are unclear.
  • Some technical financial terms may require further explanation for clarity.

Bill History

  1. 2024-03-22 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 115

  2. 2024-03-22 Governor

    Governor Signed SEA No. 0038

  3. 2024-03-07 House

    H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0038

  4. 2024-03-07 Senate

    S President Signed SEA No. 0038

  5. 2024-03-06 LSO

    Assigned Number SEA No. 0038

  6. 2024-03-06 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 61-1-0-0-0

  7. 2024-03-05 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2024-03-04 House

    H COW:Passed

  9. 2024-03-04 House

    H Placed on General File

  10. 2024-03-04 House

    H01 - Judiciary:Recommend Do Pass 8-1-0-0-0

  11. 2024-02-29 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H01 - Judiciary

  12. 2024-02-28 House

    H Received for Introduction

  13. 2024-02-27 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 31-0-0-0-0

  14. 2024-02-26 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  15. 2024-02-23 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  16. 2024-02-20 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  17. 2024-02-20 Senate

    S05 - Agriculture:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 6-0-0-0-0

  18. 2024-02-16 Senate

    :Refer to S05 - Agriculture

  19. 2024-02-14 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S01 - Judiciary 31-0-0-0-0

  20. 2024-02-13 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  21. 2024-02-12 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 24LSO-0536

Bill No.:

SF0105

Effective:

7/1/2024

LSO No.:

24LSO-0536

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0038

Chapter No.:

115

Prime Sponsor:

Laursen, D

Catch Title:

Wyoming Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act.

Has Report:

No

Subject:

Firearms and financial privacy.

Summary/Major Elements:

This bill prohibits any entity or person, public or private, from keeping a record or registry of privately owned firearms, or the owners of those firearms, through the use of a financial firearms code for use during financial transactions. The bill further provides exceptions and prohibits merchant servicers from requiring a firearms code or other merchant category code of any merchant located in Wyoming that sells firearms and related accessories and ammunition.

This bill provides for civil actions for violations and removes government immunity for governmental entities that violate the act.

The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
24LSO-0536

ORIGINAL Senate

File No
.
SF0105

ENROLLED ACT NO. 38,

SENATE

SIXTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2024 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to the administration of government; prohibiting disclosure or use of protected information relating to firearms and ammunition sales as specified; providing exceptions; providing requirements for disclosure; authorizing civil actions; providing definitions; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 1
‑
39
‑
122 and 9
‑
14
‑
301 through 9
‑
14
‑
304 are created to read:

1
‑
39
‑
122.

Liability; financial privacy.

A governmental entity is liable for damages resulting from a violation of W.S. 9
‑
14
‑
303 caused by the negligent, reckless or intentional acts of public employees while acting within the scope of their duties.

ARTICLE 3
SECOND AMENDMENT FINANCIAL PRIVACY ACT

9
‑
14
‑
301.

Short title.

This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act."

9
‑
14
‑
302.

Definitions.

(a)

As used in this act:

(i)

"Assign" or "assignment" means a policy, process or practice that labels, links or otherwise associates a firearms or ammunition code with a merchant or payment card transaction in a manner that allows any entity facilitating or processing the payment card transaction to identify whether a merchant is a firearms retailer or whether a transaction involves the sale or purchase of firearms or ammunition;

(ii)

"Customer" means any person engaged in a payment card transaction;

(iii)

"Disclosure" means the transfer, publication or distribution of protected financial information to another person or entity for any purpose other than to process or facilitate a payment card transaction;

(iv)

"Financial record" means a financial record held by a merchant servicer related to a payment card transaction that the merchant servicer has processed or facilitated;

(v)

"Firearms code" means any code or other indicator that a merchant servicer assigns to a merchant or to a payment card transaction that identifies whether a merchant is a firearms retailer or whether the payment card transaction involves the purchase of a firearm, firearm accessories or ammunition. The term "firearms code" includes, but is not limited to, a merchant category code assigned to a retailer by a payment card network or other merchant servicer;

(vi)

"Firearms retailer" means any person engaged in the lawful business of selling or trading firearms or ammunition to be used in firearms;

(vii)

"Government entity" means any county or municipality, or state board, commission, agency, bureau, department or any other political subdivision of the state;

(viii)

"Protected financial information" means any record of a sale, purchase, return or refund involving a payment card that is retrieved, characterized, generated, labeled, sorted or grouped based on the assignment of a firearms code;

(ix)

"Merchant category code" means classification codes assigned by a merchant processor to merchants or payees that accept its payment cards to classify the goods or services provided or furnished by a merchant or payee;

(x)

"Merchant servicer" means a payment settlement entity, merchant acquiring entity or third party settlement organization as defined by 26 U.S.C. 6050W or any other entity that specifically assigns a merchant category code for use in a payment card transaction;

(xi)

"This act" means W.S. 9
‑
14
‑
301 through 9
‑
14
‑
304.

9
‑
14
‑
303.

Prohibitions on data collection and use.

(a)

No state governmental agency or local government, special district or other political subdivision or official, agent or employee of the state or other governmental entity or any other person, public or private, shall knowingly or willfully keep or cause to be kept any list, record or registry of privately owned firearms or any list, record or registry of the owners of those firearms created or maintained through the use of a firearms code.

This subsection shall not apply to any financial institution that is not a merchant servicer or to any record maintained in the ordinary course of business of any financial institution or federal firearm licensee as required by 18 U.S.C. 922.

(b)

No merchant servicer shall require the usage of or assign a firearms code or other merchant category code to any merchant located in Wyoming that is a seller of firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition.

(c)

Nothing in this act shall be construed to prohibit or prevent accurate firearm record keeping for any firearm involved in a law enforcement investigation, or any firearm lawfully seized or collected pursuant to a law enforcement investigation.

9
‑
14
‑
304.

Civil actions.

(a)

The attorney general may investigate alleged violations of this act and, upon finding a violation, shall provide written notice to any person or entity, public or private, believed to be in violation of this act. Upon receipt of written notice from the attorney general, the person or entity shall have thirty (30) days to cease the usage of a firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition merchant code for any Wyoming merchant.

(b)

If the person or entity fails to cease the usage of a firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition merchant code for any merchant located in Wyoming after the expiration of thirty (30) days from the receipt of the written notice by the attorney general's office, the attorney general may pursue an injunction against any person or entity, public or private, alleged to be in violation of this act. A court may order an injunction, in addition to any other relief, as the court may consider appropriate.

(c)

It shall not be a defense to a civil action filed under this act that information was disclosed to a federal government entity unless the disclosure or action is required by federal law or regulation.

Section 2.

W.S. 1
‑
39
‑
104(a) is amended to read:

1
‑
39
‑
104.

Granting immunity from tort liability; liability on contracts; exceptions.

(a)

A governmental entity and its public employees while acting within the scope of duties are granted immunity from liability for any tort except as provided by W.S. 1
‑
39
‑
105 through 1
‑
39
‑
112
and 1
‑
39
‑
122
. Any immunity in actions based on a contract entered into by a governmental entity is waived except to the extent provided by the contract if the contract was within the powers granted to the entity and was properly executed and except as provided in W.S. 1
‑
39
‑
120(b). The claims procedures of W.S. 1
‑
39
‑
113 apply to contractual claims against governmental entities.

Section 3
.

This act is effective July 1, 2024
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

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