Please God Make the GOP Listen to the CEOs on Gun Control

On Thursday, 145 CEOs sent a letter to the Senate to demand gun reform to curb mass shootings in our country. The letter rightly calls the regular cycle of gun violence “a public health crisis that demands urgent action.”

The CEOs “urge” the Senate to pass a bill requiring “background checks on all gun sales and a strong Red Flag law that would allow courts to issue life-saving extreme risk protection orders.” Here’s a link to full letter, via NPR.

The CEOs lead a wide range of American businesses. Signatories include the leaders of Bain Capital, AirBnB, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Thrive Capital (whose founder is Joshua Kushner), Beyond Meat, Eventbrite, Levis Strauss, Lyft, Pinterest, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Reddit, Shutterstock, Twitter/Square, Bad Robot, Emerson Collective, Modern Fertility, Nextdoor, NowThis, ThirdLove, and Zola.

While the letter doesn’t directly mention any financial losses as a result of gun violence, after a massive shooting at a Wal-Mart in El Paso, Texas, it sure seems like a part of their impetus for such a letter. “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. 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 letter said.

But in order to get a bill even to the Senate floor, you have to go through one man. And he’s already prepping his defense. “What I’ve said consistently is, ‘Let’s see if we can actually make a law here,’” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Thursday. “And making a law when you have divided government is challenging. We all have different points of view.”

I’m incredibly hopeful cynic because while Republican lawmakers haven’t listened to the intense grassroots pressure from family-based groups like Moms Demand/Everytown, maybe they’ll listen to CEOs.