Did the World Economic Forum introduce a "mark of the beast" CBDC microchip to "end gun ownership" in the United States? No, that's not true: The United States hasn't announced the implementation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) as of this writing, and the hypothetical abolishment of the Second Amendment that allows gun ownership would involve a different process not tied to CBDC or the WEF.
The claim originated from an article (archived here) published by The People's Voice on July 13, 2023, under the title:
WEF Launches 'Mark of the Beast' CBDC Microchip That Will 'End Gun Ownership in America'
The article opened:
Propelling ahead at breakneck speed, the globalist elite are implementing their plan to utilize CBDCs embedded under the skin, aiming to abolish the Second Amendment.
Here is what the article looked like at the time of the writing of this fact check:
(Source: The People's Voice screenshot taken on Fri Jul 21 18:01:00 2023 UTC)
As of this writing, the Federal Reserve, the United States' central banking system, has not authorized a CBDC. The Federal Reserve website explicitly states:
The Federal Reserve has made no decision on issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) and would only proceed with the issuance of a CBDC with an authorizing law.
The most recent mention of CBDC on the White House website dates back to September 2022. It was not an executive order but an overview of "technical possibilities" focused on a risk-and-benefit analysis. The document states:
... the U.S. has not yet decided whether it will pursue a CBDC ...
The Federal Reserve website explains that a CBDC is not the same thing as cashless electronic transactions, which already are used:
While Americans have long held money predominantly in digital form--for example in bank accounts, payment apps or through online transactions--a CBDC would differ from existing digital money available to the general public because a CBDC would be a liability of the Federal Reserve, not of a commercial bank.
Contrary to the claim on The People's Voice, the question of CBDC implementation is not automatically tied to microchipping people or prohibiting guns.
Lead Stories already has debunked one of the article's key points -- another People's Voice claim about a supposed WEF plan to force people to have a "CBDC chip implant" in order to continue "to participate in society." At the time, The People's Voice distorted the words of German economist Richard Werner, who said in an interview that, in his view, the idea of future use of such CBDC microchips was "a violation of human dignity."
Contrary to The People's Voice article, the WEF, which has been a long-standing target of conspiracy theorists, is an international organization, not a U.S. body, and thus has no authority to change federal or state laws in the United States.
Abolishing the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms, or any other part of the constitution requires a specific legislative procedure and overwhelming bipartisan support. Article V of the U.S. Constitution describes the process:
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.
Nothing indicates that the WEF is lobbying Congress for the changes outlined by The People's Voice. A search of the WEF website produced no results that simultaneously mention the terms "gun control" and "microchip":
(Source: Google screenshot taken on Fri Jul 21 19:05:36 2023 UTC)
The site doesn't mention the exact term "mark of the beast," either:
(Source: Google screenshot taken on Fri Jul 17 19:09:54 2023 UTC)
The expression "mark of the beast" used in the People's Voice article comes from the Bible's Book of Revelation. It is interpreted differently by different schools of thought, ranging from literally prohibiting Christians from selling and buying things without a specific stamp on their visible body parts (a contested point of view), to the idea that it is a much broader symbol not specifically tied to commercial transactions.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the same trope -- "mark of the beast" -- was frequently included in conspiracy narratives about Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and vaccines as well as references to microchips. Lead Stories repeatedly debunked claims of this type here.
The People's Voice has published multiple false stories in the past. It describes itself as a resource "comprised of various web pages operated by Fact Checked Limited," but it has nothing to do with fact-checking.
As of this writing, its website contained a liability disclaimer that says:
FACT CHECKED LIMITED AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THE SITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND.
Other Lead Stories fact checks about microchips and guns can be found here and here, respectively.
