Intuit—a company best known for its QuickBooks financial management software for businesses—earlier this year announced a cessation of services for firearms dealers, along with manufacturers of firearms or firearms components.
The latest attempt at woke corporate activity resulted in another embarrassing about-face, demonstrating left-wing social policies do not reflect American values and undermine the business interests of the companies that advance them. The threat this time came from Intuit, a software company that manages personal, business, payroll, and tax finances, but denied its services to gun makers, gun dealers, and even gun-parts manufacturers.
After Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, launched an investigation as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Intuit dropped this woke, discriminatory policy.
The sharp reversal under Cruz’s spotlight demonstrates the deep unpopularity of the woke anti-gun cause. Intuit’s decision to harm law-abiding businesses does not reflect American values and, in fact, harms its own shareholders.
Dawson Precision is a Texas-based manufacturer of firearms parts and a firearms dealer. Like many American small businesses, the company used Intuit to manage its payroll.
Suddenly and without warning, Intuit terminated the company’s payroll-service subscription—deeming the gun-parts maker in violation of Intuit’s “acceptable use” policy prohibiting services for gun manufactures. To no avail, Dawson appealed the termination, arguing that its business as a small firearm-parts manufacturer—rather than a manufacturer of firearms—did not violate the acceptable-use policy.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first woke discrimination policy employed by the company. In 2018, Intuit incorrectly classified Arizona-based Gunsite Academy as a gun seller. Despite clear proof of Gunsite Academy’s compliance with the policy—and that the business does not sell directly to consumers—Intuit denied the company an appeal, leaving it without payroll software.
As the investigation continued, Cruz found Intuit’s banking providers—JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America—were instigators of these discriminatory practices. These financial institutions demanded Intuit refuse to provide payroll services for gun manufacturers and retailers. As a result, Intuit terminated its relationship with scores of companies such as Dawson Precision and Gunsite Academy.
Thanks to Cruz’ investigation, Intuit acknowledged the unfair policy, its subjective application, and lack of a fair appeals process.
The subsequent removal of Intuit’s discriminatory gun-related payroll policies is a step in the right direction, but this denial of essential financial services to law-abiding businesses should sound alarm bells for Americans.
The risk to individuals, institutions, and businesses of being “debanked” simply for being on the “wrong” side of a woke creed continues to rise. Freedom-loving Americans are fighting back.
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