The CEOs of some of America’s biggest companies will send a letter to Senate leaders on Thursday, urging them to introduce background checks on all firearm purchases and bring in stronger “red flag” laws. The New York Times reports the heads of 145 companies—including Levi Strauss, Twitter, and Uber—have put their names to a letter that reads: “Doing nothing about America’s gun-violence crisis is simply unacceptable and it is time to stand with the American public on gun safety.” Chip Bergh, chief executive of Levi Strauss, told the newspaper: “These CEOs are putting their businesses on the line here, given how politically charged this is.” Bergh said the business leaders are prepared for a backlash to the letter, saying: “This has been spun by the National Rifle Association as we’re trying to repeal the Second Amendment... Nothing is further from the truth.” The leaders of Airbnb, Pinterest, and Lyft signed Thursday’s letter; Apple, Facebook, and Google are among the notable absences from the list.
