CEOs push Congress to pass stricter gun legislation

CEOs of some of the largest companies in the country call on federal lawmakers to pass stronger gun safety laws amid a recent outbreak of mass shootings in the US

In a letter signed by more than 200 CEOs and sent to the U.S. Senate, business leaders referred to the recent massacres at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and the Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, New York. The letter, published on Thursday, also noted another 14 shootings this year.

“All of this points to a clear need for action: the Senate must take urgent action to pass bold gun safety legislation as soon as possible to prevent further deaths and injuries,” the letter said. .

It is in the best financial interest of the country to pass tougher gun laws, CEOs said, citing an Everytown for Gun Safety study that found U.S. taxpayers lose $ 280 billion each year due to violence. army. According to the 2021 study, employers lose $ 1.4 million in daily productivity, income and costs needed to replace workers due to armed violence.

“Communities suffering from armed violence are struggling to attract investment, create jobs and see economic growth,” the letter says.

The CEOs of Ben & Jerry’s, J.Crew, Lyft, NerdWallet and Poshmark have signed the letter. In it, they say that America is in an “epidemic of armed violence” and every person who dies means “another empty chair at the dinner table, another empty seat on the church pew or in the classroom, another worker missing in assembly line “.

“These shootings happen in homes and kitchens, in schools and houses of worship, in local businesses and department stores, and on the streets our children travel every day,” the letter says. “Among those affected are our employees, our customers and the communities where we work.”

A group of 145 CEOs sent a similar letter asking for action from members of the Senate in 2019, shortly after the shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.

Arms control bills go to the Senate

A collection of gun reform laws passed by the House earlier this week is pending Senate review. Eight bills packaged as the “Protection of Our Children Act” were passed primarily along the lines of the 223-204 party, with five Republicans joining all but two of the Democrats.

Among other things, the legislation raises the minimum age for buying semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21.

“I hope Republicans in the Senate don’t get in the way and we take them to the president’s desk,” U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, told CBS News on Tuesday.

Many believe the measures will be defeated in the Senate because of the GOP’s opposition to stricter gun laws. The Senate is divided 50-50 between the parties, and 60 votes are needed for the bills to overcome an obstruction and advance President Joe Biden.

Despite the split, CEOs urged senators: “Put the safety of your constituents and their children first. Transcend partisanship and work together to pass bold legislation to address armed violence in our country.”

In:
• Weapons Act in the United States