Activist church pushes Smith & Wesson to fund gun violence research

By Daniel Terrill

The Smith & Wesson booth during SHOT Show 2018 in Las Vegas. (Photo: Daniel Terrill/Guns.com)
A group of nuns who successfully encouraged investors to force Sturm, Ruger & Company to research gun violence earlier this year turned their sights on another major publicly traded gun maker: Smith & Wesson.
The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary filed a resolution asking American Outdoor Brands Corporation — the parent company for the Massachusetts-based Smith & Wesson — to report on the risks involved in selling firearms.
“Contrary to what the company suggests, AOBC has both the responsibility and capacity to play a more active role in how its products are used; the requested assessment and reporting are the first steps towards acceptance of this responsibility,” the group said in the resolution.
The group, joined by 10 other religious affiliated organizations, argued AOBC should research gun violence and its financial impact on the company’s bottom line. They pointed to recent events like a corporate backlash on the gun industry following February’s mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. The gunman in that scenario used an Smith & Wesson-made AR-15 to murder 17 people and injure 17 others.
If approved by shareholders, the company

Source: Guns.com