Blue-State Group Wants To Shame Companies Who Work With Firearms Industry

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An Illinois group is seeking to pressure companies to not do business with manufacturers of modern semiautomatic firearms through a “naming and shaming” campaign, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The Highland Park Peace Project is assembling a database of companies that do business with manufacturers who make so-called “assault weapons,” with the intention of “targeting the companies that do business with them,” including law firms and retail outlets, according to the group’s website. Co-founder Daniel Perlman told the Chicago Tribune that he was taking a “commercial” approach in view of potential Supreme Court decisions striking down bans on modern semiautomatic firearms. (RELATED: Biden Justice Really Worried Judges Might Actually Apply Second Amendment In Gun Cases)

“It has created transparency; what we’ve created has now allowed corporations and consumers to ask for accountability,” Perlman told the Tribune about his organization’s database of companies, which are either labeled “heroes” or “enablers” depending on whether they have ties to Sig Sauer, Daniel Defense, Bushmaster, Smith and Wesson and Ruger. The group targeted multiple banks and major credit card companies as “enablers” for either providing loans to the companies or for allowing their cards to be used to purchase modern semiautomatic firearms.

The Highland Park Peace Project didn’t respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana demanded an explanation from Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman about why the agency allowed banks to close the accounts of conservatives and firearms manufacturers during the Senate Banking Committee’s February 2026 hearing on “rightsizing regulation.”

“What in God’s name was the Fed and some of your other agencies thinking when you allowed banks to debank customers for reputational risk? Are you kidding me? Why did you allow that to happen?” a visibly angry Kennedy asked Bowman.

“NSSF has been pushing back on antigun activism, particularly illegal banking discrimination, that sought to throttle access to banking services and capital by members of the firearm industry,” National Shooting Sports Foundation Managing Director of Public Affairs Mark Oliva told the DCNF. “The Trump administration, through the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), has been particularly focused on ending this illegal and discriminatory practice. The OCC published a Final Rule codifying the elimination of ‘reputational risk’ from their supervisory programs. That essentially put the final nail in the coffin of the ‘woke’ discrimination waged against firearm and ammunition businesses corporate banks.”

The Obama administration launched “Operation Chokepoint,” which used the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to pressure banks to deny companies in the firearms industry financial services. While the first Trump administration halted the practice, some financial institutions continued to pressure companies in the firearms industries to adopt certain practices or face the closure of their accounts for years afterwards.

“The OCC explained that the Final Rule defines ‘reputational risk’ and prohibits the OCC and FDIC from criticizing or taking adverse action against an institution on the basis of reputation risk,” Oliva told the DCNF. “The rule also prohibits the agencies from requiring, instructing or encouraging an institution to close customer accounts or take other actions on the basis of a person or entity’s political, social, cultural or religious views or beliefs, constitutionally protected speech or solely on the basis of politically disfavored but lawful business activities perceived to present reputation risk.”

“Some of the corporate banking giants have publicly acknowledged that their banking policies regarding the firearm industry have changed,” Oliva continued. “JPMorgan Chase announced earlier this year that their policy of denying services to the firearm industry was over. Likewise, Bank of America and Citigroup also shifted their policies to adhere to regulations codifying that banking services could not be denied under ill-defined ‘reputational risk’ definition.” (RELATED: Blue States’ Gun-Banning Spree Is Boomeranging Back On Them)

Oliva also noted that NSSF was pursuing legislation to codify the OCC’s rule into law and to secure passage of the Firearm Industry Nondiscrimination (FIND) Act and the Fair Access to Banking Act to prevent the debanking of firearms manufacturers.

The Supreme Court accepted two Second Amendment cases involving bans on modern semiautomatic firearms imposed by Cook County, Illinois, (which includes Chicago) and Connecticut by granting writs of certiorari in Viramontes v. Cook County, Illinois and Grant v. Higgins.

The National Rifle Association declined to comment when reached by the DCNF.

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