Why is credit card giant Visa helping to bankroll the gun lobby

[Scuba]

from my email ....

Dear Scuba,

Why is credit card giant Visa helping to bankroll the gun lobby through its affiliate program?

Purchases made with the National Rifle Association (NRA) Visa Card help fund "legislative action in support of...Second Amendment rights." That means that Visa is helping to pay for NRA lobbyists who advocate against common-sense policies like background checks on gun buyers, and for dangerous legislation that would force K-12 schools, colleges, places of worship and businesses to allow the carrying of loaded guns on their premises.

Click here to tell Visa to stop funding the gun lobby.

On their website, Visa talks about "the importance of supporting the local communities and neighborhoods in which we all live and work." But their credit card program is undermining this goal by funding lobbyists who are making our streets more dangerous.

Not only is the NRA's agenda a threat to our safety, their leaders are politically extreme zealots who should be toxic to any company concerned about its public image. Visa's brand and money are supporting an organization whose board members threaten violence against our elected officials, engage in racist rants, and compare homosexuality to polygamy and incest.

A Fortune 500 company should not be helping to promote and pay for an extreme, pro-gun agenda that is causing untold suffering in neighborhoods across America.

Sign this petition and tell Visa: End your affiliate program with the National Rifle Association and stop funding dangerous policies.

Thank you for your support,

Josh Horwitz
Executive Director
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

[gopiscrap]

1. good question..signed the petition.

[jberryhill]

2. Because if you run a credit card affinity program, Visa will "bankroll" whatever you are about

I wouldn't guess there are too many NRA opponents who have an NRA Visa Card.

[NYC_SKP]

3. Let me get this straight. Only "NRA Visa Cards" accrue to the benefit of the NRA, right?

Use of my own personal Visa card, or yours, isn't going to benefit the NRA.

But people who went out of their way to get and NRA Visa card can choose to use it and use of the card will benefit the NRA?

Why stop there?

Why not badger Visa to stop providing merchant services entirely to the gun industry and the NRA?

https://www.change.org/petitions/american-express-visa-mastercard-discover-stop-providing-merchant-services-to-hate-groups

[Scuba]

4. Excellent, thanks.

[former9thward]

5. This is misleading.

Only the NRA Visa cardholders fund the NRA lobby. Hundreds of organizations, maybe more, have this type of arrangement with VISA. My own VISA card funds projects in Israel. Does that mean VISA is bankrolling Israel? Nonsense.

[Pab Sungenis]

6. I gave up my Visa card

over their support for Russia's anti-gay pogrom. This doesn't surprise me at all.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

7. I hate the NRA but also hate twisting of facts

As others have pointed out, the affiliate program Visa offers to many groups. This is not Visa funding the NRA.

[HoustonDave]

8. Disinterested party

And of course it just happens to be coincidence that Josh Horwitz is with a prominent anti-gun group, which has donation
plans to allow you to have your credit card billed monthly, or buy their Christmas cards, or whatever.... all of which are
managed by outside professional organizations, I am sure.

Visa is a business and they make money from the NRA cards... also from their AARP cards, PETA cards, and others. ....
CSGV is also a business, and if Josh feels that strongly - perhaps he should get Visa to offer a CSGV credit card too instead
of falsely claiming that Visa bankrolls the NRA.