PayPal and Square Block Gun Purchases but Visa Says it Won’t

While many are protesting across the nation for better gun control after the two deadly mass shootings over the weekend, one company is not going to stop people from buying firearms.

That company is Visa.

Visa’s Chief Executive announced to CNBC that as long as its legal for people to buy firearms, the credit card giant will continue to facilitate these gun purchases.

“We are guided by the federal laws in a country, and our job is to create and to facilitate fair and secure commerce,” said Visa Chairman and CEO Alfred Kelly.

According to Kelly, legislators “need to do their job,” and Visa’s stance as a payment processor for gun purchases hasn’t changed over the past year.

“The reality is that it’s very hard for us to do it. … If we start to get in the mode of being legislators it’s a very slippery slope,” Kelly said. “We shouldn’t be determining what’s right or wrong in terms of people’s purchases.”

The company will continue to “follow the laws of the land,” he said,

“We shouldn’t tell people they can’t purchase a 32-ounce soda. We shouldn’t tell people they can’t buy reproductive drugs,” Kelly said.

Mastercard’s CEO Ajay Banga also said his comapny will not dictate what consumers can purchase according to a report in Bloomberg.

Payment companies PayPal and Square however do not allow gun sales through their platforms.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently tweeted, “I’m heartbroken about what’s happening in my country. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. It’s time for good people with different views to stop finger pointing and come together to address this violence for the good of our country.”

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.