145 CEOs Call On Senate To Pass 'Common-sense, Bipartisan' Gun Laws

September 12, 2019

The CEOs of 145 companies issued a new call for gun safety Thursday, sending a letter to members of the Senate on Thursday stating that it is "simply unacceptable" to do nothing about gun violence and mass shootings in the U.S.

Saying the country is in a public health crisis, the CEOs say new laws that would require background checks on all gun sales "are a common-sense solution with overwhelming public support and are a critical step toward stemming the gun violence epidemic in this country."

To save lives, the letter states, "the Senate must follow the House's lead by passing bipartisan legislation that would update the background checks law."

The CEOs come from a variety of companies, including Amalgamated Bank and the Royal Caribbean Cruise line. The heads of AirBnB, Yelp and D*ck's Sporting Goods also signed the letter.

Along with stronger background checks, the business leaders are calling for a strong red flag law, which could prevent shootings in cases where family members or law enforcement report concerns about someone who may be at risk of harming themselves or others.

The letter doesn't mention the financial losses from violence. Citing recent tragedies in Dayton, Ohio; El Paso, Texas; Gilroy, Calif.; and elsewhere, the CEOs say that millions of Americans have had their lives changed by gun violence, and that it's time for lawmakers to respond.

"Every day, 100 Americans are shot and killed and hundreds more are wounded," the letter states.

The letter is the American business community's latest attempt to push back on guns, after 53 people died in mass killings in the U.S. during the month of August. Last week, the CEO of Walmart — which suffered a shooting at an El Paso store that left 22 people dead — called on Washington to strengthen background checks and make sure people who are found to pose a danger can't access firearms.

A growing number of stores, from Walmart to CVS, Publix, Kroger and others, are also asking shoppers to refrain from openly carrying guns in their stores, whether local or states laws allow it or not.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2019/09/12/760144527/145-ceos-call-on-senate-to-pass-commonsense-bipartisan-gun-laws

Even corporations are trying to do more to prevent gun deaths than Republicans