NC: AUTHORIZE .NET ABANDONS GUN SELLERS

 

GRNC has just learned that the shopping-cart-gateway provider, Authorize.Net (a subsidiary of CyberSource), is refusing to continue providing services to Hyatt Guns, a large North Carolina-based gun shop that also has a sizable online presence. In late August, management at Hyatt Guns was disappointed and perplexed to receive a notice explaining that the store was in violation of Authorize.Net’s “acceptable use” policy. What was their offending violation? They sell firearms. In Authorize.Net’s own words:

Dear Hyatt Gun Shop Inc,

Authorize.Net LLC ("Authorize.Net") has determined that the nature of your business constitutes a violation of Section 2.xiv of the Authorize.Net Acceptable Use Guidelines and Sections 3.3 and 11.3 of the Authorize.Net Service Agreement (the "Agreement"). These sections include, but are not limited to, the sale of firearms or any similar product. Accordingly, pursuant to Section 4 of the Acceptable Use Guidelines, your ability to access and use the Authorize.Net Services will be terminated on September 30, 2013.

You read that right. Authorize.Net is terminating the gun store’s access to its services simply because they sell guns. Based on their policy statement above, one can only conclude that this discriminatory policy is being applied to gun sellers nationwide. It looks like the small but noisy anti-gun crowd has gotten to what must be a jelly-spined PR department at CyberSource and Authorize.Net. Either that, or leadership at these companies have simply become anti-gun all on their own. Whatever the cause, Authorize.Net is making it clear that businesses lawfully selling firearms are undesirable, and need not apply.

Authorize.Net’s unexpected abandonment has left Hyatt Guns, and presumably others, with very little time to find a new provider for online transactions. The scramble to set up a new system in a short period of time is disruptive and quite costly. If this is how upstanding business people are going to be treated by CyberSource and Authorize.Net, it’s time that we all “de-authorize” them from our online experience.

GRNC is recommending that you keep a close eye out for the Authorize.Net and CyberSource names and logos when shopping online, and avoid making purchases from companies that use their services. When you run across one of these logos, take a moment and let the online shop know why you’ve decided to take your business elsewhere. Below you’ll see the identifying logos for CyberSource and Authorize.Net, which you may see when checking out at an online store. Please take a good look, and put them on your “don’t buy” list. 

                

GRNC also asks that you contact CyberSource and make it clear that you’re on to them, that you refuse to buy from companies that use their services, and that you intend to convey this message to online merchants. They need to know that singling out upstanding businessmen and women, and needlessly making it more difficult for them to conduct lawful and ethical commerce, will not be tolerated. Tell them that making such an unjust practice part of their business model will not only adversely affect their reputation, but it will hit them where it hurts most—the bottom line. Below, you will find contact information and suggested text for a message to CyberSource regarding Authorize.Net’s prejudice. Please contact them, and let them know that treating gun sellers like second class merchants is an affront to gun owners, and to all freedom-loving people for that matter. 

 Action, please