A local Brooksville business, American Gun and Pawn, has gotten a bizarre letter from Suntrust Bank which is where the company has a checking account. The owner of American Gun and Pawn, Steve Champion, was shocked when he received the certified letter.

Unbelievably, the letter states that American Gun and Pawn is not a business that Suntrust Bank wants to do business with and gives them only ten days to close the account or it will be closed for them. No reason is given as to why Suntrust Bank has decided not to do business with them anymore.

A number is provided if the customer has any questions. Mr. Champion called the number and the person he talked to told him that they weren’t sure why Suntrust Bank was closing his account, but they did know that a lot of gun shops had received these letters all across the country. According to the representative, it was a corporate decision.

Going into business, especially the gun shop and pawn shop business, is not an easy task. Steve Champion has perfect credit and, in order to sell guns, the government has done a thorough background check. What more could a bank ask for?

When we talked to Mr. Champion, he was really frustrated and felt like the bank was discriminating against him. At the moment, he has not talked to an attorney but is planning to do so soon.

This is not the first time a huge national bank has targeted gun shops and it is well known that there is another force at work here. It is well documented that the federal government, specifically the Obama Administration, has pressured banks to drop clients that they term high risk. The official name of the program is called “Operation Choke Point.”

The program was started under Attorney General Eric Holder’s regime at the Department of Justice with the help of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

The DOJ publicly acknowledged this program on March 20, 2013, in a Washington, D.C., speech by Michael Bresnick, who was the executive director of the DOJ’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. Bresnick stated that Choke Point aimed to stop banks from providing services to scammers.

Unfortunately, stopping scammers is not how “Choke Point” has actually been used in Realville. The problem with operation “Choke Point” is that it is operated in a way that not only targets criminals, but also targets law-abiding businesses that the Obama Administration deems risky i.e. gun shops.

According to The Washington Times, several firearm businesses over the last few years have reported sudden disruptions of their relationships with their banks. The Times article refers specifically to the following:

• Powderhorn Outfitters, of Hyannis, Mass., says that it was turned down for a loan by TD Bank because of involvement in the firearm business.

• The bank account of Black Rifle Armory, in Henderson, Nev., was frozen in May 2014, as the bank launched a search for suspicious transactions.

• Bank of America (BoA) in 2012 ended its 12-year account relationship with McMillan Group International. Kelly McMillan says that BoA told him that the termination was because McMillan had changed from making gun parts (e.g., stocks) to manufacturing firearms.

There has been some push back to these actions that have been promulgated by the Obama Administration. According to the NRA, the following actions regarding operation “Choke Point” have been taken:

• A new organization called “United States Consumer Coalition” has a website that provides an opportunity for whistleblowers and for victims of Choke Point to report their experiences (usconsumers.org).

• In May, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to defund Operation Choke Point. The Senate has not yet acted on that bill. The leader of the defunding effort was Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., with his amendment to the appropriations bill for Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies.

• Another leader has been Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services. He has requested reports from the Federal Reserve and other federal financial entities if they are participating in Choke Point or similar projects.

• Also, on June 6, the Community Financial Services Association (an association of payday lenders) filed a lawsuit against Choke Point. The case (no. 14-cv-00953) is currently in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

While Suntrust Bank is an easy target to blame, it appears that all they have really done is to cave into the pressure the Obama Administration has applied. And, that is concerning. But, let’s just remember that the real culprit is our own federal government.

Mr. Champion, there is your culprit.

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