Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts said in an op-ed this week that credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard should begin prohibiting the sale of “ghost gun” kits and “core components.”
“With federal regulators falling well short of their obligations to the public, credit card companies have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to be part of the solution by refusing to process these dangerous and illegal sales,” Watts said in Business Insider.
“By refusing to process payments for illegal ghost gun kit sales, credit card companies can stand on the right side of history — and show Americans they are willing to put their money where their values are,” Watts concluded.
The anti-gun lobby has in the past successfully pressured financial institutions to prohibit certain types of firearm sales. But the willingness of private companies like Facebook, Twitter, Apple, and Google, to bend to recent social pressure could spell trouble for firearm companies and gun owners alike.
Watts argues that “ghost guns”—or non-serialized, build-it-yourself firearms—are the “fastest-growing gun safety threat in the United States.”
SEE ALSO: Shannon Watts On Gun Control Movement, ‘We’re Winning’
She cites the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), which estimated that 10,000 non-serialized guns were seized by law enforcement agents in 2019. But she fails to mention that in that year, law enforcement agents seized at least 269,000 firearms, according to the same ATF data.
Watts also makes much of the ATF’s recent statement that certain build-it-yourself firearm kits are, in fact, firearms. The agency said as much to justify a raid of popular build-it-yourself firearm company Polymer80. But Watts also fails to mention that the ATF has for years assured gun owners that 80-percent receives are not firearms and therefore not subject to background check requirements.
Watts calls on credit card companies to do what the ATF won’t: ban build-it-yourself firearms.
“The ATF raid was an important step, but the agency has far more to do,” she said. “Until it asserts full regulatory authority over this dangerous and illegal end-run around our gun safety laws, we need to fight the problem on every front, and that means declining to process payments for illegal and dangerous ghost gun kits.”
SEE ALSO: Shannon Watts Shows Ignorance, Completely Embarrasses Herself with this Tweet
There is precedent for Watts’ wishes. At the behest of groups like Moms Demand Action, Citigroup and other banks refused to do business with any retail outlet that sold certain (legal) firearms to certain (legal) age groups. Gun companies were forced to find other lenders and conduct transactions through other systems.
But if Watts gets her way this time, gun owners will also be affected. A crackdown from credit card companies on “ghost gun” parts could also prohibit consumers from using their credit cards to purchase all the parts used to build a firearm.
At the end of the op-ed, Watts calls on credit card companies to ban the sale of “ghost gun” kits “and their core components.” Watts does not elaborate on which components she considers “core,” but it’s likely she means receivers and barrels and perhaps triggers.
Visa, Mastercard, and other credit card companies have thus far not indicated whether they plan to follow Watts’ plan.
Yet another, brilliant twit!
No one EVER mentions the over 250 Thousand known causes yearly, were people use firearms to save themselves our others.
Out of the 327 Million people in this country, 0.01% of people are hurt do to firearms. Suicide accounting for the highest is a tragic one i belive stats came in around 29k that would still, unfortunately, be Done by the individual as shown in other countries that don’t have firearms. There are around 1600 Law Enforcement related Shootings, just under 300 Negligent Discharges, and just under 9k Actual Murders in this country yearly. In Europe, “England “were GUNS are Eleagal and the population is around 60 Million people, there percentages came in from stats i seen at 0.06%. We have 5x’s the population, millions of legal GUNS owned by Leagal gun owners, and have less of the So called by the Left, Gun PANDEMIC/HEALTH issue.
Criminals, don’t obey the law. This is why, the THOUSANDS of gun laws on the books both state wide and federal, DON’T stop CRIME.
We all know what the Agenda is by the TYRANTS in our Government, and wont be aloud. History both past and present, have shown what happens to citizen’s that can’t protect themselves. Some of you have families over seas fighting for these God Given RIGHTS THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO TAKE FROM US.
DON’T GIVE UP ANY,OF YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. YOU WON’T GET THEM BACK….
Not for nuthing, but if I was building any “non-serialized guns” I would always use cash, never credit. Thanks Shannon for another ill thought concept.
this will never end will it? I’m just getting into building my first AR. I’m playing around with the idea of learning how to milk an 80% lower. Does this automatically mean I’m going to be threat to society? I’m a peaceful dude who spends most of his days making comics and spending time with my folks and siblings. What’s the allure of having all the control they seek?
Mill* autocorrect I swear…
Does Ms Watts actually think criminals are going to go through the process of making a firearm from an 80% platform. My neighbor has made 2. He has a drill press and knowledge of firearms. A criminal would much rather take the easy way out and buy a stolen gun or steal one. How many “ghost “ have turned up in crimes?? This is BS!
Anthony I agree with you. However, there are a number of individuals who make them and actually sell them to those who aren’t allowed to posess firearms. Sad to day we should have seen this one coming. Itmakes it worse for the rest of us
Illegal? Since when? Is she basing it on the ATF raid? If so, then this idiot shouuld kow that the basis of the raid was that a kit with all the pieces, even though an 80% yet to be built, was a “firearm.” BUT, if the receiver is sold separately from the rest of the pieces, no firearm is being sold. (Which is why the ATF’s position is inherently indefensible).
Yes, they want to ban 80% kits because bad people can build their own untraceable guns. But bad people can also buy stolen guns in the street that are no more traceable than these are. Studies show that “time to crime” for most stolen guns is close to a decade, and of course there is no way to go from the recovered firearm back to the thief (though to be frank I don’t k ow why in most cases anyone would want to try).
She is no idiot. She calculates her attacks. Chop away at the bases and the whole building falls. She does need to get off her high horse. Maybe when something horrible happens to hre or hre family, she will think differently.
Based on the ATF even if you buy all the components or kits as long as the lower is not complete (hence 80%) it is not a firearm…….
Tj
Im getting farking disgusted at this movement by communists in society to cancel, cripple, censor and harm anyone or entity they disagree with or dislike. My country has been hijacked by a minority of very powerful interests who have bought every lawmaker and appointed themselves to the level of a King.
And unless one is affected by this no one cares. No one. In fact powerful lawmakers go along and cheer these Kings on.
Bidens Communist Regime will be the most powerful tyranny in US history. Yet there is no active movement to fight these communists the way communists need to be fought.
Lets start one here and now. Will Gunsamerica host us ? Give us a forum to and place to meet and plan in cyberspace ?
First THANK YOU GUNS-AMERICA for posting information…JB is 100% correct Guns-America will you provide a platform for gun owners to communicate? I hope so! Make sure you own your servers and there are back-up abroad. This is fixing to get nasty.