A newly-introduced bill would end a Biden administration scheme to deny loans to small firearms businesses.
U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) and 17 Republican colleagues tintroduced the “Equal Shot Act.”
Risch reports, if passed, the bill “prohibits the Small Business Administration (SBA) from discriminating against firearm-related businesses.”
“Federal agencies have no authority to deny critical support to small businesses based on ideological bias,” said Risch. “The Equal Shot Act defends the Second Amendment rights of Idaho’s small business firearm industry and ensures these law-abiding Americans have fair access to resources that will help them thrive.”
According to co-sponsor Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA):
The Equal Shot Act ensures that firearm-related businesses are treated the same as any other eligible small business when applying for SBA programs without political or ideological bias.
* The bill responds to reports that the SBA, under the Biden administration, used internal policies to deny financial support to lawful firearm-related businesses that help Americans exercise their Second Amendment rights.
* The bill reinforces that federal agencies must remain neutral and may not withhold access to assistance programs from law-abiding businesses based on their industry.
Along with Kennedy, Risch is joined by U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) in introducing the Equal Shot Act.
The Equal Shot Act has also been introduced in the House by U.S. Representative Roger Williams (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Small Business.
“The Equal Shot Act ensures every eligible small business is treated fairly and without political bias,” said Williams. “Under the Biden Administration, firearm-related businesses were targeted and singled out by federal agencies and financial institutions simply because of what they represent. These law-abiding job creators should not be punished for supporting the Second Amendment. I want to thank Senator Risch for his support on this important legislation. Every business on Main Street deserves the same opportunity to succeed.”
“Under the last administration, the Small Business Administration was caught red-handed adopting discriminatory policies aimed at denying financial assistance to members of the firearm industry that provide the means for Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” said Lawrence G. Keane, National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “The federal government should not be picking winners and losers in a free market based on political ideology. Every lawful business should have an equal shot at success. NSSF is grateful to Senator Risch for his leadership in sponsoring the Equal Shot Act which will ensure the Small Business Administration can never again be weaponized to deny financial assistance to help small businesses in our industry grow and create jobs that are vital to the future of our nation’s economy and the Second Amendment.”
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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SBA has so much DEI baked into its culture that it makes mo difference if the firearms owner is a white male. There ain’t gonna be no loan. Many years ago when I was in grad school I worked for SBDC consulting for SBA. Later as a business owner with an MBA, that SBA experience, and a credit score over 800 I was never able to get an SBA loan guarantee. But they continued to give loan guarantees to “minorities”, many of whom never repaid the loans and left SBA to pay them.