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  • Home
  • Take Action
    • Preventing Unintentional Shootings
    • Regulating Gun Owners
    • Divestment
    • Concealed Carry
    • Illinois Gun Legislation >
      • WITNESS SLIP
    • Background Checks
  • Resources
    • Guns and Children
    • Guns and Domestic Violence
    • Guns in the Home
  • Join Us
  • Donate

Divestment

What Should I Know About Divestment?

Americans need not feel powerless against the gun violence problem any longer. There is something they can do as individuals to fight gun violence that does not involve convincing politicians.  More and more people want to be sure they are not supporting gun manufacturers through their investments.

Campaign to Unload is a grassroots initiative fueled by more than 50 activist organizations that have united to hit back at irresponsible gun manufacturers where it hurts: their sources of funding. Many Americans have a 401k.  Many mutual funds invest in  American public gun companies. ​There are resources to allow investors to determine if they are unintentionally supporting gun companies.

Because funding is the lifeblood of business, divestment campaigns have been essential components in some of the most successful changes in public policy of the past thirty years. These include changes in U.S. tobacco policy and the end of apartheid in South Africa.

By putting pressure on the gun manufacturing industry, Campaign to Unload seeks to encourage the gun industry to adopt common ­sense, publicly-­backed reforms, such as universal background checks and smart gun technology. As investors of all kinds become more informed on the campaign, the potential for widespread divestment, and the pressure on the industry to change, will grow.

Click here to learn how you can divest.


Fast Facts

  • Since first launching the divestment campaign against manufacturers of assault weapons and high-capacity ammo clips, ten hedge funds and money managers have completely divested their gun holdings, valued at $170 million. ​[1]
  • Call customer service at your mutual fund company to ask if it owns a particular stock. If you’re a Vanguard customer, you can do a holding search to see whether a fund owns shares in a specific company. [2]


Sources: [1] Campaign to Unload  and [2] MarketWatch

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