Another bank decides not to deal with local gunshop because of reasons

AS if things weren’t tough enough for local businesses following months of drought, bushfire and economic uncertainty, National Australia Bank (NAB) has decided to put the boot in too.

Boonah business Smiffy’s Guns & Ammo, which has been trading in the town for several years without incident, received a letter from the bank dated January 29th, informing them that the bank had chosen to cease providing them with banking services as a result of reviews into “the risks associated with providing banking services to customers involved in certain industries”.

Owner Anita Smith was gobsmacked by the decision, which has forced her to find an inconvenient workaround to make certain deposits into the business account and created more headaches she does not need as a local business owner.

She said she had chosen NAB about 18 months ago as they were one of the few banks with a physical branch in Boonah, and had never had any issues with the bank or its staff before.

“We can’t use a local bank because of what business we are, yet we can legally operate in the town just as they can. It’s ridiculous,” she said.

She said she shouldn’t have to resort to workarounds to make business deposits and was not at all happy with her highly regulated and secure business being deemed a banking risk when that clearly wasn’t true.

“I am making a formal complaint to NAB about this. It’s totally unacceptable,” she said.

Shooters Union Australia president Graham Park slammed NAB’s decision, calling it abhorrent virtue-signalling which directly harmed rural communities, made it harder for farmers to protect their crops, and penalised people taking part in a popular, safe, and highly regulated sport.

“There are literally millions of law-abiding firearms users in Australia, all of whom have undergone extensive background checks to get their licences,” he said.

“Gun dealers are subject to even further checks, security requirements, and safety standards – there is no risk whatsoever in providing gun shops with merchant banking facilities.”

Mr Park said NAB’s decision was particularly confusing given what happened the last time a bank decided it didn’t want to support law-abiding firearms users.

“Given the public outcry against Bank of Queensland when they pulled a similar stunt last year, I cannot imagine what was going through the minds of whoever at NAB decided to take this action,” he said.

“It goes without saying we are now encouraging every law-abiding firearms user in Australia to seriously reconsider any banking arrangements they may have with NAB, and will be checking our own accounts to make sure none of them are with the bank.

“I’m sure NAB’s shareholders may want to ask questions about why the bank is going out of its way to alienate legitimate and highly regulated businesses which support our struggling regional economies.”

There’s been quite a bit of interest in this one from local media; the Beaudesert Times has already picked up the story after we sent the above release to them: https://www.beaudeserttimes.com.au/story/6672172/gun-shop-dumped-by-major-bank/?cs=2411

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I’ve been with NAB for about 30yrs, thanks to this I went to another bank yesterday and opened an account, as soon as my card etc arrives ill be into my local NAB branch to let them know why I’m closing my accounts.

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Fucking banks, good on you for changing.

I am with westpac of which I haven’ seen any gun related abuses only the usual butt fucking all the banks give their customers.

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We try to be as on the ball as we can. We’re doing something with the NAB issue too (they’ve shut down a Queensland gunshop’s accounts because they’re a gunshop), but have something a bit more involved in the works than just sharing a Facebook screenshot and saying “everyone be angry about this!” :slight_smile:

One would think it’d fall under discrimination, being a legal business.

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The very short version is that there’s no legal compulsion for a business to do business with anyone, with the exception of stuff covered under specific legislation, like racist or anti-LGBTQ reasons.

So if the gun shop was run by a lovely LGBTQ couple of colour and ethnic minority… Oooof. Watch that moral compass explode.

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So I need a new bank then? This is the first I’ve heard about either…

Considering this business (the NAB bank) runs entirely on the fiat currency which belongs to the Commonwealth Government, said government might order that if it wants to receive commonwealth currency it must accommodate all legal customers?

Windmills do not work that way.

I can dream can’t I? Ask not what you can do for the government, but what the…ahh as if!

I’ve said it before, the best thing we could do for LAFOS is get the LGBTQ crew into guns. They’d have everything sorted in no time at all. We’d be able to buy tanks, rocket launchers and M60s at Kmart needing nothing more than a smile and your wallet (or handbag or sequin purse depending on how you roll).

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To defeat the intersectionalist, we must become the intersectionalist.

This will be painful. Shifted my business acct ove rot NAB about a year ago and it looks like it will have to do it again. I also switched from ANZ after the appalling way they went after Israel Falou’s wife and tried to have her sacked… that’s two banks I won’t be able to use if NAB don’t recant their decision

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What’s the gossip on Westpac?
Coz I hate the Commbank too, only really leaves Westpac for me as most of the little banks are a pita when you live in the country.
Our home loan is through Suncorp coz that’s the wife’s bank and our nearest branch in in warnambool

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We’re told Commbank are fine with guns; we know of some large dealers who use them with no problems.

I had a fallout with Comm Bank before the gun laws came in, so I have other reasons for not banking with them. As for westpac I have always found their banking pretty good

I’m the same mate, I dislike Commbank for non gun related reasons.

We have been with Westpac for a few years and have found them pretty good and helpful, definitely better than the others.

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