{"id":118359,"date":"2026-08-21T16:54:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T21:54:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=118359"},"modified":"2026-08-21T16:54:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T21:54:56","slug":"118359","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=118359","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

The Power of Sunlight: Another Payment Processor Changes its Tune After Anti-Gun Discrimination is Exposed.<\/a><\/p>\n

Financial companies seem to have a funny habit when their discrimination against the firearm industry gets exposed. They suddenly change their tune.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what is happening in West Virginia, where state Attorney General JB McCuskey investigated financial companies after NSSF member Kent Cartridge Company, an ammunition manufacturer in Kearneysville, was denied payment-processing services. BILL and Ramp\u00a0had separately told<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Kent Cartridge they couldn\u2019t provide services because of \u201ccompliance and underwriting restrictions\u201d and \u201crestrictions from our partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, BILL is serving Kent Cartridge and companies involved in the dispute have assured AG McCuskey they don\u2019t discriminate against lawful firearm businesses. Of course, that\u2019s how it should have been from the beginning.<\/p>\n

West Virginia Demanded Answers<\/h4>\n

NSSF\u00a0exposed the discrimination<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in July after Kent Cartridge provided communications showing it had been denied services. BILL also listed the manufacture and sale of firearms and ammunition within a restricted business category.<\/p>\n

AG McCuskey took notice.<\/p>\n

His office investigated whether the\u00a0companies\u2019 actions violated<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0West Virginia\u2019s Firearm Industry Nondiscrimination Act. The NSSF-supported law prohibits financial institutions that do business or contract with the state from discriminating against firearm entities or trade associations because they engage in lawful commerce involving firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition.<\/p>\n

The law doesn\u2019t require financial institutions to ignore legitimate business or financial risks. It does, however, make clear that a blanket policy refusing financial services to firearm entities does not qualify as a \u201cbusiness or financial reason\u201d justifying discrimination.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s an important distinction. Financial institutions can make legitimate business decisions. They cannot simply decide an entire lawful industry is unworthy of financial services because they disapprove of the products it manufactures and sells for \u201cwoke\u201d political reasons.<\/p>\n

West Virginia backs that principle with consequences. Government entities generally cannot contract with financial institutions that discriminate against firearm businesses, and the law provides civil remedies for violations.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sound Familiar?<\/h4>\n

Circle Internet Group, issuer of the USDC stablecoin, previously maintained terms prohibiting customers from using USDC to purchase firearms, ammunition and related products. NSSF exposed the restriction. Circle\u00a0changed its terms<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and explicitly confirmed that USDC could be used for lawful firearm transactions.<\/p>\n

Stripe had long barred firearm-related businesses from its payment-processing services. Then it\u00a0changed course<\/a><\/strong>, moving firearm businesses from its prohibited category to a restricted category that allows them to seek services subject to additional review.<\/p>\n

Citigroup reversed its discriminatory firearm industry policy\u00a0in 2025<\/a><\/strong>. NSSF has also documented changes at other major financial institutions following years of pressure over policies targeting lawful firearm businesses.\u00a0JPMorgan Chase<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0did the same and so did\u00a0Bank of America<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n

Different companies. Different financial products. Same pattern.<\/p>\n

A firearm or ammunition business gets singled out. The discrimination is exposed. Regulators, lawmakers or customers start asking questions. Suddenly, policies that were supposedly necessary become negotiable, rewritten or abandoned.<\/p>\n

That tells its own story.<\/p>\n

Vigilance Required<\/h4>\n

This discrimination has always been particularly indefensible because firearm and ammunition manufacturers, distributors and retailers operate in one of America\u2019s most heavily regulated industries.<\/p>\n

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regulates the manufacture, distribution and retail sale of firearms. Federal law imposes extensive licensing, recordkeeping and transfer requirements. Financial institutions aren\u2019t protecting the public by categorically denying services to these businesses. They are making a political judgment about lawful commerce involving products protected by the Constitution.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration has moved aggressively to end that practice. President Donald Trump\u2019s Executive Order 14331, \u201cGuaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans<\/a><\/strong>,\u201d directed federal regulators to eliminate \u201creputational risk\u201d and similar concepts that enabled\u00a0politicized debanking<\/a><\/strong>. Federal banking regulators have since taken additional steps to remove reputational-risk considerations from supervision.<\/p>\n

The Treasury Department\u2019s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency also found\u00a0in its review<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0of large banks that financial institutions had made \u201cinappropriate distinctions\u201d among customers based on lawful business activities, including firearm-related businesses.<\/p>\n

West Virginia is demonstrating why state protections matter, too.<\/p>\n

Kent Cartridge shouldn\u2019t have needed NSSF to expose what happened. It shouldn\u2019t have required an attorney general investigation for financial companies to explain why an ammunition manufacturer operating a lawful business was denied services.<\/p>\n

Yet scrutiny worked.<\/p>\n

BILL is providing services to Kent Cartridge. The companies have offered assurances against firearm industry discrimination and AG McCuskey has made clear that West Virginia will enforce its protections when necessary.<\/p>\n

That is a victory, but it is also a warning.<\/p>\n

Circle changed. Stripe changed. Major banks changed. Now financial companies caught up in West Virginia\u2019s investigation are changing their tune, too.<\/p>\n

The firearm industry isn\u2019t asking for special treatment. It is demanding equal treatment.<\/p>\n

Financial companies would be wise to finally get the message.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n
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Jenn Jacques is Public Affairs Manager at the\u00a0National Shooting Sports Foundation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Power of Sunlight: Another Payment Processor Changes its Tune After Anti-Gun Discrimination is Exposed. Financial companies seem to have a funny habit when their discrimination against the firearm industry gets exposed. They suddenly change their tune. That\u2019s what is happening in West Virginia, where state Attorney General JB McCuskey investigated financial companies after NSSF … Continue reading “”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","category-corruption"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=118359"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118360,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118359\/revisions\/118360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=118359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=118359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=118359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}