Financial companies seem to have a funny habit when their discrimination against the firearm industry gets exposed. They suddenly change their tune.

That is what is happening in West Virginia, where state Attorney General (AG) JB McCuskey investigated financial companies after NSSF member Kent Cartridge Company, an ammunition manufacturer in Kearneysville, was denied payment-processing services. BILL and Ramp had separately told Kent Cartridge they could not provide services because of “compliance and underwriting restrictions” and “restrictions from our partners.”

Now, BILL is providing services to Kent Cartridge and companies involved in the dispute have assured AG McCuskey they do not discriminate against lawful firearm businesses.

Of course, that’s how it should have been from the beginning.

West Virginia Demanded Answers

NSSF exposed the discrimination in July after Kent Cartridge provided communications showing it had been denied services. BILL also listed the manufacture and sale of firearms and ammunition within a restricted business category.

AG McCuskey took notice.

His office investigated whether the companies’ actions violated West Virginia’s Firearm Industry Nondiscrimination (FIND) Act. The NSSF-supported law prohibits financial institutions that do business or contract with the state from discriminating against firearm entities or trade associations because they engage in lawful commerce involving firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition.

The law doesn’t require financial institutions to ignore legitimate business or financial risks. It does, however, make clear that a blanket policy refusing financial services to firearm entities does not qualify as a “business or financial reason” justifying discrimination.

That’s an important distinction. Financial institutions can make legitimate business decisions. They cannot simply decide an entire lawful industry is unworthy of financial services because they disapprove of the products it manufactures and sells for “woke” political reasons.

West Virginia backs that principle with consequences. Government entities generally cannot contract with financial institutions that discriminate against firearm businesses, and the law provides civil remedies for violations.

Sound Familiar?

Circle Internet Group, issuer of the USDC stablecoin, previously maintained terms prohibiting customers from using USDC to purchase firearms, ammunition and related products. NSSF exposed the restriction. Circle changed its terms and explicitly confirmed that USDC could be used for lawful firearm transactions.

Stripe had long barred firearm-related businesses from its payment-processing services. Then it changed course, moving firearm businesses from its prohibited category to a restricted category that allows them to seek services subject to additional review.

Citigroup reversed its discriminatory firearm industry policy in 2025. NSSF has also documented changes at other major financial institutions following years of pressure over policies targeting lawful firearm businesses. JPMorgan Chase did the same and so did Bank of America.

Different companies. Different financial products. Same pattern.

A firearm or ammunition business gets singled out. The discrimination is exposed. Regulators, lawmakers or customers start asking questions. Suddenly, policies that were supposedly necessary become negotiable, rewritten or abandoned.

That tells its own story.

Vigilance Required

This discrimination has always been particularly indefensible because firearm and ammunition manufacturers, distributors and retailers operate in one of America’s most heavily regulated industries.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) regulates the manufacture, distribution and retail sale of firearms. Federal law imposes extensive licensing, recordkeeping and transfer requirements. Financial institutions aren’t protecting the public by categorically denying services to these businesses. They are making a political judgment about lawful commerce involving products protected by the Constitution.

The Trump administration has moved aggressively to end that practice. President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14331, “Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans,” directed federal regulators to eliminate “reputational risk” and similar concepts that enabled politicized debanking. Federal banking regulators have since taken additional steps to remove reputational-risk considerations from supervision.

The Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) also found in its review of large banks that financial institutions had made “inappropriate distinctions” among customers based on lawful business activities, including firearm-related businesses.

West Virginia is demonstrating why state protections matter, too.

Kent Cartridge shouldn’t have needed NSSF to expose what happened. It shouldn’t have required an attorney general investigation for financial companies to explain why an ammunition manufacturer operating a lawful business was denied services.

Yet scrutiny worked.

BILL is providing services to Kent Cartridge. The companies have offered assurances against firearm industry discrimination and AG McCuskey has made clear that West Virginia will enforce its protections when necessary.

That is a victory, but it is also a warning.

Circle changed. Stripe changed. Major banks changed. Now financial companies caught up in West Virginia’s investigation are changing their tune, too.

The firearm industry isn’t asking for special treatment. It is demanding equal treatment.

Financial companies would be wise to finally get the message.

– Jenn Jacques, Public Affairs Manager, National Shooting Sports Foundation

A state highway that reels off into the distance looks like a sun-scorched gray-black ribbon laid over tawny grassy hills. Lonely locust trees here and there over much of the West favor their eastern side, getting the lesser of incessant western winds that shush the husks of shin-high grasses.

It’s wide-open country dominated by a dome of cobalt sky. The grasslands from Texas to Idaho own a soft immensity pleasing to the eye. They also possess pronghorn antelope, an animal that is singularly built to thrive here, enduring blistering heat of summer and deep winter freezes. It is an incredible animal. A pronghorn looks like an animal put together by a committee: not much larger than a big domestic dog—a barrel chest set on spindly legs—and wide-set eyes that take in a panoramic view.

It’s not uncommon to see the gangly goat-looking creature in the West. Hunters harvest pronghorn in the late summer and early autumn. Some bow hunt as if using a level-shooting rifle wasn’t challenging enough, pitting wits against an animal with visual acuity beyond compare.

Whether you enjoy seeing pronghorn while driving along a highway, through a rifle scope, or just appreciate knowing they skitter about in the western states, they, and we, are beneficiaries of scientific wildlife management made possible by Pittman-Robertson funding.

Federal excise taxes paid by manufacturers of archery gear, firearms, and ammunition ensure that state fish and wildlife agencies have the funding needed to monitor and manage wild bird and mammal populations, pronghorn included.

Pronghorn populations suffered dearly a century ago. Plows broke native sod converting it to agricultural land uninhabitable by pronghorn.  Unregulated subsistence and market harvest reduced the pronghorn to a mere prairie ghost.

With the consistent and reliable funding through Pittman-Robertson, pronghorn numbers rebounded. State agency wildlife professionals monitor and manage their numbers; they trap and transport live animals restoring them to their formerly inhabited range throughout the West.

Wildlife restoration efforts are rarely “one and done,” instead requiring continual assessments and research, the results of which inform future management actions and hunting regulations.

Idaho Pronghorn Research and Management

Biologists with Idaho Fish and Game use Pittman-Robertson funding to monitor pronghorn populations using helicopters and net guns to capture the speedsters from above; fix radio transmitters to the animals to track their movements; conduct road surveys and strategically place trail cameras all to estimate sex and age ratios.  

Informed by years of data, Idaho biologists have mapped migration routes from summer to winter ranges and tracked population trends. These migration maps allow biologists to identify important areas for conservation easements and to locate barriers to movement, such as fences.

In contrast to deer, pronghorn rarely jump fences, and struggle to crawl beneath the lowest stringer if it is less than 16 inches above the ground.

Unused fences can be removed. Fences still in use can be modified to allow pronghorn passage and maintain intact migrations—movements that range up to 135 miles for some individuals each spring and fall.

Oklahoma Pronghorn Movements

Pittman-Robertson dollars funded research into diet, parasite loads, fawn survival and adult mortality rates, and movements through the seasons in the Oklahoma panhandle. Panhandle pronghorn numbers seem to have declined. Researchers seek to know why.

This research has been conducted for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) by four graduate students supervised by faculty at Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M - Kingsville, essentially training future wildlife management professionals while simultaneously answering important questions on pronghorn biology.  

Biologists and graduate students captured 130 fawns and 235 adult pronghorn over a three-year period, also using a net gun from a helicopter. They collected fecal matter to measure parasite loads and fitted animals with radio transmitters to follow movements and habitat selection over time.

Data from this research are still being analyzed. The results of this work will inform ODWC biologists on future management needs including habitat concerns and potential adjustments to hunting regulations.

Pittman-Robertson funds are used in virtually all of the western states, from the Great Plains states and westward over the Rockies, for the benefit of pronghorn and the people who enjoy seeing or hunting them.

—Craig Springer, for the USFWS, Office of Conservation Investment

When hunting and fishing licenses for the 2026-2027 seasons become available Monday, buyers will be able to purchase their licenses through a new, updated license system.

The new My Outdoor Alabama system will be available by going directly to www.myoutdooralabama.com to start the license buying process, including logging into your account or creating a new account. Guides on how to log in and create new accounts are available on that page. The new license system can also be accessed by visiting the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) website at www.outdooralabama.com or through the Outdoor AL app, which must be updated to the latest 2.0.0 version to function properly.

“We’ve had the same license system for a long time, and it has worked okay,” said ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship. “But we had the opportunity to upgrade and bring our license system into the new age.

“I think this will be much more functional for our customers. It will be much better both on the front end for the customers and on the back end to see what we can do with the data and how to utilize that to make good management decisions.”

Both Commissioner Blankenship and Chris Lewis, ADCNR’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Director, said the new system will be much easier on people with disabilities.

“Some people are having to bring certain things into the county probate offices with documentation on disabilities and military service, things like that,” Commissioner Blankenship said. “With the new system, they will be able to scan the documents and upload them into the system to be able to buy the licenses online at home like everybody else. It will be much better for those customers for sure.

“We just want to make sure and encourage everybody that, before the licenses go on sale for the new year, they go on the Outdoor AL app or MyOutdoorAlabama.com and claim their profile and update their payment information so they can utilize the new system.”

WFF’s Lewis echoed the Commissioner’s assessment on the positive impact for those who need to purchase special privilege licenses.

“Previously, people who needed these licenses had to go to the county courthouses,” Lewis said. “We’re going to give people the option to do that at home. They can submit their eligibilities for certain licenses online. Those are then reviewed by our office in Montgomery. Once those documents are approved for the eligibilities, we send them an email that they have been approved. Once they log back into the system, they will see they have been approved to buy a disabled hunting or fishing license. Some of those licenses will have to be approved every year; some will be every three or five years, depending on what license it is.

“Before, people would have to drive to the courthouse, park, go inside and stand in line. Starting Monday, you can do that at home. I think that is going to be well-received.”

Billy Pope, ADCNR’s Assistant Deputy Commissioner who oversaw this effort, said the upgrade was to make purchasing licenses, managing your account and accessing your outdoor privileges easier. Pope urges everyone to visit the new system at MyOutdoorAlabama.com and claim their personal profiles to confirm that their information, including their hunter education number and other details, has transferred. The only information that wasn’t legally allowed to be transferred was the payment information. Therefore, users will need to input their payment information into the new system and remember to sign up for auto-renewal.

“Alabama was an early adopter of online sales of hunting and fishing licenses,” Pope said. “The previous system was custom-built and served the department for 20 years. It was time! We upgraded this critical system to a more modern, secure platform that provides a better user experience for our customers. This was no easy task. Our staff, along with Tyler Technologies, worked long and hard on the transition, and we greatly appreciate their efforts. As in every deployment of a new system of this size and complexity, there are growing pains, and we ask for your patience.

“While the look and feel may be new, our commitment to serving Alabama's outdoor community remains the same. This upgrade is all about providing a better experience so you can spend less time navigating systems and more time enjoying Alabama's great outdoors.”

With the new system, users can create a secure profile once, then use it to log in, renew, or view their licenses instantly in the future. Also, for login purposes, the user’s profile will display either a Customer ID, Conservation ID, or driver's license number. You can use any one of the three to look up your account.

Commissioner Blankenship thanked Tyler Technologies and its Alabama manager, Robert Hines, for their work to upgrade the system as well as the many ADCNR employees, including WFF’s Wanda McCullers, Ruby Ellison, Justin Grider, John Gallacher, Pope and others who worked on the license project.

“I’d like to commend our team at ADCNR for working through all the nuances and issues to help put this system together,” Commissioner Blankenship said. “They have all worked as a good team to bring this upgrade to fruition, and it will be really good for our customers going forward.”

WFF’s Lewis said one of the benefits of the My Outdoor Alabama system is it can keep track of a great deal of information for the user.

“Once someone is in the system, everything is migrated over to the new platform,” Lewis said. “You will have access to your purchases and license history in the new system and your Game Check harvest records. You’ll have one dashboard to keep up with it. Your Conservation ID number will be the same in the new system.”

Lewis said the new system will also make it easier on event organizers who might give a lifetime license away as a prize or incentive.

“We’re looking forward to being able to do gift cards,” Lewis said. “We have events where people want to give away a lifetime license. With the previous system, they would have to fill out a paper application and attach a check to it. We’ve had issues with that over the years when the recipient never followed up on the purchase, and we would have to go back and forth on the refund. With the new system, they can buy a gift card. The gift card recipient can go at their own leisure, upload their documents and purchase the license.”

Kevin Anson, Director of ADCNR’s Marine Resources Division (MRD), said saltwater recreational anglers will also benefit from the My Outdoor Alabama license system.

“For the recreational anglers, they will have easier access to historical information about their licenses,” Anson said. “They can buy licenses that they have purchased in the past.”

However, those who wish to purchase commercial licenses for saltwater species will still have to visit the MRD office at Orange Beach or Dauphin Island to obtain those licenses. Anson said there will be no pre-sales of commercial licenses. They will go on sale October 1.

Anson said the required reporting of red snapper, greater amberjack and gray triggerfish harvests can still be done through the 2.0.0 version of the Outdoor AL app or online at www.outdooralabama.com.

Tyler Technologies’ Hines said the update is a retirement of the legacy license system with a move to a cloud-based technology platform that will provide a better account experience for customers. Hines said the ADCNR system accounts for 715,000 transactions annually with the purchase of 1.4 million license products.

"ADCNR has been a valued partner for more than two decades, and it has been a privilege to work alongside their team on this important modernization effort,” Hines said. “The successful launch of the Recreational Licensing platform reflects the dedication and collaboration of both organizations, and we are proud to help provide Alabama's hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts with a more convenient and connected experience. We look forward to continuing our partnership and supporting ADCNR's mission for years to come.”

For those who need assistance, My Outdoor Alabama customer support will be available 24/7. For license sales and My Outdoor Alabama general support call 1-888-848-6887. For Mobile Application support, dial 1-866-246-9581. For Game Check/Snapper Check, call 1-800-888-7690.

– David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

I’d concluded, before the question was asked, that most who argue for the need for more sight radius on guns with iron sights – particularly on handguns –are the folks who weren’t getting the most out of the gun to start with. 

They were looking for a reason for lousy shooting. 

Still, testing what I could do with a 4” DA revolver versus a 6” revolver, as a matter of shooting off-hand, held some appeal. I thought the difference would be minute, particularly when shooting without a machine rest. 

Finding another issue crop up was icing on the cake. It’s a good reason to do old-fashioned, one-handed target shooting. 

The test was simple: I’d use two revolvers of the same make and caliber with variation in barrel lengths just to see if I could detect a difference based on sight radius. 

The revolvers weren’t exactly the same, I cheated a bit. The first was my long-owned two-caliber 22 revolver, a Smith & Wesson Model 617. It features a six-shot cylinder, factory-supplied Hogue Monogrip stocks, and Patridge front sight atop a six-inch barrel with an underlug. It’s a heavy heater, featuring a nominal sight radius of 8.3”. 

I’m frail, so the other gun was also a M617, but this was the Lipsey’s Exclusive S&W Mountain Gun variant, with a four-inch skinny barrel and a brass bead on the face of the Patridge front sight. Its sight radius has been listed as around 6.3”. 

Is the difference in sight radius critical to practical accuracy?

I set up a B-8 repair center at 25 yards and shot one-handed, bullseye style. Alternating right hand/ left hand per each five-shot string, that kept me honest, as well as confirming (or not) my hold and stance.

With the six-inch gun, using Winchester Wildcat 22 LR, my first group was pressed to the left for a 40/50. Changing hands and adjusting my hold, I shot a 44/50 with the left hand. That’s not enough difference to be relevant.

With my left, I noticed that I was very shaky. I’d not worked “weak hand only” for some time. On one round, I held a bit long and had to lower the gun to relax, then try again.

With the Mountain Gun, I favored high on the first (right-handed) string for a 42/50. Left-handed, I had two off the paper, favoring far to the right. That’s not the gun or sight radius. It’s all hold. 

Measuring groups, the best five-round string went to the four-inch Mountain Gun with a 3 ¼” group. The longer, heavier gun yielded groups of 5 5/8” and 5 7/8”.

The guns have different stocks, there’s a brass bead in the front sight of the newer gun and there’s the barrels’ weights affecting stability. I believe that the lack of stability and left-handed practice contributed to me going off the rails. 

Another difference only occurs in double-action, the length of cylinder travel between shots. The longer gun has a six-round cylinder; the new gun has a 10-shot cylinder.

A better comparison would be with a 4” M617 configured like the 6” gun. 

I tried that on a later range trip. I used Remington Bullet ammo in a S&W M617-6 4" gun, this with the underlug like the 6" gun. I fired a 5 7/8" group with three hits inside 2 3/4". I did that one "ball and dummy," with empty cases dispersed in the 10-shot cylinder, five live rounds amongst five empties. The resulting score was 86/100-1X.

Nearly no difference between the short gun and the longer analog.

On that first trip, I finished up with the “Shootist Challenge.” Shot at 25 feet (“10 paces) one-handed on an outline of an old-fashioned five-inch envelope, the target has a 1” square image of a “stamp.” The deal is to shoot six rounds, one handed, putting all on the envelope and at least one on the stamp. 

With the older gun, I had a group of 3 5/8”. As the wind was fluttering the target sheet, I pushed one low, still on the envelope. I was rushing the shot before I lost the target. The best three were in 1.5” and I tagged the “stamp” on the edge with one round. 

I secured the target before shooting it again. With the Mountain Gun, I had five of six hits on the “stamp.” A single round was just about 1” to the right of the stamp image. Six rounds went into 1 ¼” with four of those hits into ¾”.

For some shooters, the distance between the iron sights on a handgun may make a difference. In fact, when shooting the long line (50 yards) for bullseye, it may take on increased importance. The shorter the sight radius, the less acceptable error in sight picture you have. 

For my uses, the shorter guns seem to do just fine. 

– Rich Grassi, Editor, The Tactical Wire

Fort Worth Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas

Bald Eagles Gun Club, NRA Whittington Center, Raton, New Mexico