A proposed rule from the little-known Office of the Comptroller of the Currency could have a big impact on the firearms industry if it’s approved, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation is asking for help in making sure that happens.

The rule would, in essence, prevent banks from discriminating against the firearms industry as clients, as several major financial institutions have done in recent years as an example of their corporate wokeness. Here’s how the NSSF describes how the rule would work.

The proposed rule provides the following requirements for large, national banks ($100 billion or more in total assets) to provide fair access:

1. Make each financial service it offers available to all persons in the geographic market served by the covered bank on proportionally equal terms;
2. Not deny any person a financial service the bank offers except to the extent justified by such person’s quantified and documented failure to meet quantitative, impartial risk-based standards established in advance by the covered bank;
3. Not deny any person a financial service the bank offers when the effect of the denial is to prevent, limit, or otherwise disadvantage the person:

(i)            From entering or competing in a market or business segment; or

(ii)           In such a way that benefits another person or business activity in which the covered bank has a financial interest; and

1. Not deny, in coordination with others, any person a financial service the bank offers.

This would be a boon not only to the firearms industry, but to all those that “have suffered politically-driven discrimination,” in the words of the NSSF. Within the gun industry, businesses as varied as your local gun store, makers of specialized accessories, startup gun companies, and heritage brands have all been shut out of doing business with the largest financial institutions in the country in recent years, and this rule would ensure that couldn’t happen; at least not because of any anti-gun agenda.

Gun owners have been doing a great job of commenting on the ATF’s proposed guidance for pistol braces, with more than 4,000 comments being received each day since the comment period opened. This proposed rule from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, on the other hand, has been open for comment since late November and has received less than 2,000 comments as of December 22nd.

Let’s change that, shall we? To submit your public comment before the deadline of January 4th, click the link below, then hit the green “submit a formal comment button” on the righthand side of the page.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/11/25/2020-26067/fair-access-to-financial-services

While the proposed regulations for pistol braces allow you to also fax or mail in your comment, for some reason faxing your response isn’t an option with the proposed anti-discrimination rule. If you want to mail your comment, here’s the address, but remember; the letter must be received by midnight on January 4th, and we’ve got several holidays in addition to two Sundays between now and then, so the mail might be slower than normal.

Chief Counsel’s Office, Attention: Comment Processing, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E-218, Washington, DC 20219.

Something else to keep in mind if you’re planning on mailing your response:

You must include “OCC” as the agency name and “Docket ID OCC-2020-0042” in your comment. In general, the OCC will enter all comments received into the docket and publish the comments on the Regulations.gov website without change, including any business or personal information provided such as name and address information, email addresses, and phone numbers. Comments, including attachments and other supporting materials, are part of the public record and subject to public disclosure. Do not include any information in your comment or supporting materials that you consider confidential or inappropriate for public disclosure.

Gun owners have done a fantastic job of speaking out against ATF’s proposal for pistol braces, which are simply a push towards registration of millions of legally-owned firearms. Now we need to use our voices to speak up in favor of this rule that would help businesses big and small throughout the firearms industry, ensuring we still have access to the arms that are our right to own and carry.