GunCents in Your Pension?

One thing the failed efforts to pass what to many seems like common sense gun regulations and the successful recall of two Colorado State Senators should show is the immense political power of the National Rifle Association and it's allies. 

While the NRA is indeed a membership organization, the group also, as the Violence Policy Center points out, relies on manufacturers.  This makes perfect business sense, the NRA opposes measures that might affect sales and it's rhetoric creates sales for the American Insurgency.

So one way to reduce to power of the NRA might be to cut some of that cash flow.  One potential way to do this, as well as bring the ties between manufacturers and the NRA into focus may by to divest.

"Divestment" is the process of taking money out of a business.  One successful example of divestment was South Africa, where activists took money out of that nations economy and may have played a role in the ending of apartheid.  Israel is a frequent targets of efforts on behalf of the Palestinians.  The companies that have left the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, the group behind the "Stand your Ground" laws and other legislation and the advertisers leaving right-wing radio programs may be a form of this as well.

New York City Mayoral Candidate Bill de Blasio has suggested that divesting firearms manufacturers from the New York City pension fund may be a good idea.  It makes me wonder whether urging city, state and corporate plans to divest could send a message to manufacturers and the NRA.

Also, folks who have mutual funds might want to look at whether their pensions may be indirectly funding insurrectionists.  There are funds like Domini that respect convictions.

We stand against the gun lobby, we work for legislation, we may even not shop at stores that sell assault weapons, shouldn't our investments not help bankroll the insurgents.