Are you using SQUARE to process payments?

carguy

Senior Member
If you are using SQUARE to process payments, you might want to consider using another vendor.

No matter where you stand on guns, this is a very very bad thing. There is no way the government should be dictating who purchases legal items via legal channels.

From the article:

Last summer, around the same time the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Choke Point began pressuring banks to drop customers who buy or sell firearms, tobacco and other goods considered “not acceptable” by the Obama administration, Square quietly changed its terms of agreement.

Square TOS: https://squareup.com/legal/ua

"By creating a Square Account, you also confirm that you will not accept payments in connection with the following businesses or business activities:
...

(23) sales of (i) firearms, firearm parts or hardware, and ammunition; or (ii) weapons and other devices designed to cause physical injury"

More: For Gun Shop Owners, It?s No Longer Hip to Be ?Square?
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
If you are using SQUARE to process payments, you might want to consider using another vendor.
Holy s--t. This isn't about guns, or tobacco; this is about trying to legislate morality, pure and simple.

And even if it happens to agree with your morals, the concept is wrong.

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out;
Because I was not a Socialist.
... "

....
 

Krs_2007

Senior Member
At the company level this has been going on for a while. Example, gun companies not being able to secure more funding and such. Its a sad state we are in and heading when the man oversteps, but the best voice is to vote.

*Note - the reference to "the man" is not naming names, but Govt in general so dont turn this into a political bashing, that never ends up good.
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
Big Govt in any way makes me furious. I also dislike discrimination of any kind, and in my eyes, this is a form of discrimination. This just adds to the mix...

I was just about to launch a "formal" side business, and Square was going to be a part of that until now. Thanks for making me aware, as this prompts me to look for other options.
 

nickt

Senior Member
Paypal has similar policies. Since half of the US fears guns, this will float quietly without uproar. Then the next thing you know, it will be high fat foods and sugar that have credit card restrictions. Mayor Bloomburg in NYC attempted an outright ban large sodas.

Just to keep this on-topic, it is not a far stretch of the imagination that someday pictures of firearms would not be allowed to be bought/sold with these devices. It sounds crazy, but kids already get thrown out of school for simulating a gun with their hands.

Heck, as it is written, one could argue that it would be a violation of the Square TOS if you charged a fee to take photos of a firearm collection for sale.
"By creating a Square Account, you also confirm that you will not accept payments in connection with the following businesses or business activities:"

If you billed yourself as 'specializing in firearm photography', I think they would bounce you in a heartbeat.
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
Paypal has similar policies. Since half of the US fears guns, this will float quietly without uproar. Then the next thing you know, it will be high fat foods and sugar that have credit card restrictions. Mayor Bloomburg in NYC attempted an outright ban large sodas.

Just to keep this on-topic, it is not a far stretch of the imagination that someday pictures of firearms would not be allowed to be bought/sold with these devices. It sounds crazy, but kids already get thrown out of school for simulating a gun with their hands.

Heck, as it is written, one could argue that it would be a violation of the Square TOS if you charged a fee to take photos of a firearm collection for sale.
"By creating a Square Account, you also confirm that you will not accept payments in connection with the following businesses or business activities:"

If you billed yourself as 'specializing in firearm photography', I think they would bounce you in a heartbeat.

Exactly. "in connection with" implies that if I do a specialty shoot of a customer's firearms, even if only for his private use, I would happen to actually become a business with activities relating to firearms, or if I was commissioned by a local gun vendor to provide some product shots in any way, I could not use their service without the fear of them cancelling my account with them. Also, who's to say that if I were to take portraits of a person who happens to OWN one of these businesses, even if there were no direct relation to the business or firearms in any way, that they wouldn't eventually view that as a violation of their TOS?

RIDICULOUS, IMO.

Don't get me wrong, I feel that, in "freedom" there is an allowance to "Reserve the right to refuse service to anyone" (unless it's because of race, color, religion or natural origin of course), or tailor your business toward certain customers and/or activities, but I also have the ability to choose who I will or will not do business with based on their choices to do so. Square has made sure I will not do business with them, and has also made sure that I will share that decision and my reason behind it with many other people that I associate with, so the potential is exponential.
 

Rick M

Senior Member
I've used Square for about a year now. I don't read those agreements anyway :). I've sold a lot of gun pics like these two, they haven't shut me down yet. I'm going to continue to do this in defiance :)


DSC_6412_8989_3_8990_4_8991_tonemapped.jpg


DSC_6467_9027_8_9028_9_9029_tonemapped-2.jpg
 

Rick M

Senior Member
Looks like they all have similar policies, some are pretty funny. I'm wondering if it's more a fear of partial liability.
 

Krs_2007

Senior Member
I've used Square for about a year now. I don't read those agreements anyway :). I've sold a lot of gun pics like these two, they haven't shut me down yet. I'm going to continue to do this in defiance :)


Rick for president.....Do I hear a second.

nice pictures, really like what you did with them.
 

Rick M

Senior Member
Rick for president.....Do I hear a second.

nice pictures, really like what you did with them.

They are also illiegally obtained images! My trip to Gettysburg last year was during the government shutdown. The park was closed, but those signs and roadblocks were for other people :). I got a lot of good shots without all those annoying tourists :)
 

Krs_2007

Senior Member
They are also illiegally obtained images! My trip to Gettysburg last year was during the government shutdown. The park was closed, but those signs and roadblocks were for other people :). I got a lot of good shots without all those annoying tourists :)

I remember you posting them. I have always wanted to tour battle grounds and take pictures. Maybe one day.
 
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