
The best way to see good public policy enacted is to not contribute money to the people who fiercely oppose it.
A group of 145 corporate CEOs released a letter on Thursday demanding immediate congressional action on gun violence. The group specifically urged members of the Senate to enact universal background checks for gun sales and red flag legislation to allow courts to issue extreme risk protection orders for those deemed a serious threat to themselves or others.
But a Shareblue review of campaign finance records found that several of the signers have made recent individual contributions to the very people blocking that legislation. Corporate political action committees for several of the companies have also distributed tens of thousands of dollars to lawmakers who have opposed similar legislation.
"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 executives wrote in the letter. "Gun violence in America is not inevitable, it's preventable."
Some of the CEOs who authored the letter include Condé Nast's Roger Lynch, Dick's Sporting Goods' Edward Stack, Ecolab's Doug Baker, Gap's Art Peck, Twitter and Square's Jack Dorsey, and Uber's Dara Khosrowshahi.