The heads of 145 U.S. companies want the Senate to pass legislation requiring background checks on all firearm sales and enact a “red flag” law, warning that inaction on gun violence is “simply unacceptable.”
The request to members of the Senate, made in a letter sent Thursday, is the latest push by private companies to address gun violence following mass shootings this summer in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that left dozens dead. Signers of the letter span a variety of industries and represent companies ranging in size. The heads of publishing company Condé Nast, financial firm Bain Capital, social media platform Twitter, and retailer Gap were among those who joined the plea.
“As leaders of some of America’s most respected companies and those with significant business interests in the United States, we are writing to you because we have a responsibility and obligation to stand up for the safety of our employees, customers and all Americans in the communities we serve across the country,” the CEOs wrote. “Doing nothing about America’s gun violence crisis is simply unacceptable and it is time to stand with the American public on gun safety.”
The company chiefs note in their letter that 100 Americans are shot and killed daily, and hundreds more are wounded in cities ranging from Chicago to Gilroy, California.
“This is a public health crisis that demands urgent action,” they wrote.
The CEOs urged Congress to expand background checks to all gun sales, saying the proposal is a “common-sense solution with overwhelming public support” that represents a “critical step toward stemming the gun violence epidemic in this country.”
Additionally, expanding extreme risk laws, or “red flag” laws, which allow law enforcement to seize guns from people in danger of hurting themselves or others, is “critical to preventing future tragedies,” they said.
“These proposals are common-sense, bipartisan and widely supported by the American public,” the company heads said. “It is time for the Senate to take action.”
The call from corporate America comes as Congress has been under increasing pressure to enact more stringent gun laws after 22 people were killed in the shoot at a Walmart in El Paso and nine died in a shooting at an entertainment district in Dayton.
After the rampage in El Paso, Walmart said it would stop selling ammunition for handguns and short-barrel rifles and end handgun sales at its stores in Alaska, marking a complete exit from the handgun market. The retailer also asked its customers to no longer openly carry firearms in stores where open carry is permitted under state law. Walmart’s CEO was not among the signers of the letter.
A cascade of other stores have followed Walmart’s lead in requesting customers leave their firearms at home, including Publix, Aldi, and Walgreens.
The House passed legislation expanding background checks earlier this year, and Democratic leaders want Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, to bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote.
But McConnell said last week the Senate will work on a bipartisan deal aimed at curbing gun violence and could include background checks and “red flag” laws.
President Trump told reporters Wednesday his administration is “looking at background checks” but wants to “protect our great Second Amendment.”
