On guns, companies getting out ahead of politicians
NEW YORK (AP):
IN 1960, black students staged sit-ins that forced Woolworth’s to desegregate its lunch counters, and other stores and restaurants followed suit. In 1986, General Motors, Coca-Cola and dozens of other US corporations pulled out of apartheid-era South Africa after years of pressure from activists, college students and investors.
Last week, four major retailers slapped restrictions on gun sales that are stronger than federal law.
Those are all rare examples of American companies getting out ahead of the politicians and the law on socially explosive issues. Such decisions are almost always made reluctantly, under huge pressure and with an eye towards minimising the effect on the bottom line.
The February 14 massacre of 17 students and teachers at a Florida high school has set off a response from US businesses unlike any previous mass shooting.
Major corporations, including MetLife, Hertz and Delta Air Lines, have cut ties to the National Rifle Association (NRA). Walmart, Kroger, L.L. Bean and Dick’s Sporting Goods announced they will no longer sell guns to anyone under 21. Dick’s also banned the sale of assault-style rifles, a step Walmart took in 2015. And Dick’s CEO went even further by calling for tougher gun laws.
ACT OF DEFIANCE
Those actions amounted to an act of defiance against the NRA and its allies in Washington who have vehemently opposed any ban on AR-15s and other semiautomatic weapons or a higher age limit for gun purchases.
“What we are seeing is a real shift,” said Mimi Chakravorti, executive director of strategy at the brand consulting firm Landor. “I think right now, companies are acting ahead of the government because they are seeing that the changes are too slow.”
Still, business leaders are not exactly leading the charge for the