What Can Companies Do About Gun Violence?

Compared to most industrialized nations, the United States has an extraordinarily high rate of gun violence. According to a comprehensive database maintained by the University of Washington, 3.96 per 100,000 U.S. residents die from gun violence per year, nearly 100 times more than in the United Kingdom, for example. Although Colorado’s gun-violence death rate is lower than the country’s (2.27 according to figures that predate the recent Boulder mass shooting), we’re still 50 times more likely to die from a bullet in our beautiful state than in the United Kingdom, South Korea or China. The mounting gun violence crisis means that Colorado corporate social responsibility (CSR) practitioners might want to get involved in this politically charged issue. But how? Each brand needs to determine the approach that works best for its stakeholders and business context, but below are ways some companies have addressed gun violence.

• Donated to victims and their families. Consider donating to the Colorado Healing Fund, a non-profit organization founded in 2018 by a group of victim advocates and community leaders to establish a secure way for the public to contribute to victims of mass casualty crimes in Colorado. King Sooper, for example, has committed to donating $1 million. Other brands that have donated include AT&T and Wells Fargo, both of which are 2020 The Civic 50 Colorado honorees.
  
• Donated to nonprofits preventing gun violence. Levi Strauss and Company announced in September of 2018, for example, a $1 million commitment to fuel the work of nonprofits and youth activists who are working to end gun violence in America.
  
• Spurred activism. In 2018, TOMS Shoes turned its website into an advocacy tool that encouraged users send a postcard to their representative urging them to support universal background checks and delivered more than 700,000 postcards to lawmakers’ offices in Washington, DC. · Offered economic opportunity as a way to minimize gang violence. TRU Colors, a North Carolina start-up brewery, hires local gang members to develop their leadership skills and promote their personal and professional growth.
  
• Adjusted product offerings. Two weeks after the 2018 Parkland, Florida, shooting, Dick’s Sporting Goods announced it would no longer carry military-style assault rifles and that it would not sell firearms to anyone under 21. In 2019, Dick’s went further and took guns and ammunition off the shelves some of its stores.

Clearly, Colorado companies need not feel helpless in the face of the gun violence affecting its communities. There are many ways brands can help Colorado become safer and more peaceful.