Mobile-payment service Square blocks gun sales

[Robb]

Source: CNN

CNN -- Square has put a target on gun sellers.

The mobile-payment service, run by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, amended its terms of service for retailers last week to ban sales of "firearms, firearm parts or hardware, and ammunition; or... weapons and other devices designed to cause physical injury."

A Square spokesman declined to comment on this specific change, but said: "From time to time we revisit our policies governing the use of Square to ensure they are consistent with our values and in the best interests of our customers."

(snip)

Online-auction site eBay (EBAY, Fortune 500) also bans weapon sales, as does web-payment service PayPal.

Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/13/technology/square-guns/

[PeaceNikki]

1. good.

[AllyCat]

2. Dorsey is just on my radar recently from an article in Fast Company

Good for him!

[Blue Idaho]

3. My day just became a much better place. nt.

[onehandle]

4. Just another reason I use them. K&F'nR. nt

[littlemissmartypants]

5. Well done! NT

[SlipperySlope]

6. Square had already banned firearm sales.

This article mistates the nature of the change. The old agreement banned the sales of firearms as well, it just didn't ban the sale of "parts or hardware".

I thought the old agreement was crystal clear; firearms were prohibited but parts and accessories weren't.

I find the new one less clear. Say you are a leather craftsman who hand-makes rifle slings. Can you continue to sell them and accept Square?

[JimDandy]

7. Your use of the word "accessories"

I thought the old agreement was crystal clear; firearms were prohibited but parts and accessories weren't.

appears nowhere in the list of items banned in the Square User Agreement:

--------------------------------------------
6. Your Square Account

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

https://squareup.com/legal/seller-agreement
---------------------------------------------

These leather slings are not firearms, or firearm parts, or firearm hardware, or firearm ammunition, or weapons, or devices designed to cause physical injury. A leather crafting business is not disallowed...just don't sell them in connection with a firearm business or firearm business activity (like a gun show or a shooting competition, for example).

If you are still worried, and you use the Square, then don't sell them/craft them or in any way encourage the gun culture. There must be lots of other leather items that can be crafted by whoever made these beautiful designs! I wouldn't be surprised, though, to find that you are not adverse to the gun culture and that this was all just a rhetorical exercise.