A group of gun-rights organizations is calling some big banks onto the carpet for their systemic history of debanking and otherwise discriminating against companies in the firearms industry.
According to a report at Foxbusiness.com, the Second Amendment groups are accusing some financial institutions of “revisionist history” in their attempts to whitewash past discrimination against gun and ammo manufacturers and retailers.
The six groups—NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), the American Suppressor Association (ASA), Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Gun Owners of America (GOA), National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA)—sent a letter to the heads of JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and the Bank Policy Institute confronting them over their anti-gun history.
“As the unified voice of the Second Amendment community and millions of gun owners across America, we write today to address your ongoing debate about the future of banking,” the letter stated. “As you know, our industry faced relentless attacks and discriminatory treatment for decades. We have been shut out of mainstream financial institutions including by your banks and those your represent. The assault on gun manufacturers, retailers and aligned organizations has been a brazen and ideologically driven campaign to undermine the Constitutionally protected right of all Americans to keep and bear arms.”
Recently, the big banks had “come clean” and stated that they would no longer discriminate against gun industry members. And in August, President Donald Trump signed the Executive Order Guaranteeing Free and Fair Banking for All Americans.
“That’s why it was so shocking and perplexing to see recent commentary from you and your representatives attempting to point the finger at Biden- and Obama-era regulators for discriminatory debanking,” the gun groups’ letter continued. “Rather than taking responsibility for unjust targeting of our industry and other causes and individuals considered right-leaning, including President Donald Trump and his family members, your representatives attempted to whitewash your well-documented history of targeting firearms manufacturers, retailers and pro-Second Amendment nonprofit organizations.”
Ultimately, the firearms groups are wanting to see leaders in the banking industry to come clean and commit to no further discrimination in the future.
“Given the fact that you have claimed to want to undo the harm caused by debanking, we write to ask for a formal, public commitment that you will no longer attempt to debank or otherwise discriminate against our companies or organizations,” the letter concluded. “Such a public statement would align with other proclamations you have made to the administration and the media about your purported commitment to fair banking.
“An equal applications of rules and standards across industries is critical for fairness and ensuring the rights of law-abiding gun owners are not infringed. We look forward to your prompt response.”
Whether the banks will reply to the letter remains to be seen.
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