Today, Levi Strauss & Co. President and CEO Chip Bergh joined more than 140 other CEOs in sending a letter to the U.S. Senate asking them to take action on gun safety by passing legislation that would require background checks and extreme risk protection orders (also called red flag laws).
In the year since we took a stand against gun violence in America, the problem has only intensified. As of September 1st, there were more mass shootings in the U.S. than days in 2019.
Chip elaborates on this pressing issue in an op-ed that ran today in Fortune, calling on the business community to take action on gun violence in an effort to help protect their employees, customers and communities. Below is an excerpt:
I believe that we, as CEOs, have an obligation to get involved in issues that impact our employees, our consumers, and our communities, including the 58% of American adults or someone they care for who have experienced gun violence. I also believe that gun violence has a far-reaching impact on business—and not only on those who make and sell guns. Whether we operate in public spaces or provide the systems that make our economy work, the gun violence epidemic presents risks for us all. And when risk threatens your business, you act.
Gun violence demands swift action from all of us, and we must in turn demand swift action from our elected officials. The legislative road map is clear. The House has already passed a universal background checks bill. Red flag laws have been enacted by 17 states and the District of Columbia, and federal legislation to support red flag laws in every state has been introduced in both the House and the Senate. We cannot let lack of political leadership block commonsense reform or allow the memory of these most recent shootings fade, along with the urgency that follows. We need to force the issue, to seek real results, and to hold each of our elected officials accountable for their positions on these bills.
Read the full op-ed on Fortune.
Want to join the effort? We are inviting CEOs to sign onto the letter and will accept new signatories until Congress takes action to end America’s gun violence epidemic – go to www.ceosforgunsafety.org.
