Thread by @igorvolsky

1/ Great to see corporations help us fight Covid-19!

Businesses understand they have a responsibility to protect employees, customers and communities & defeat the pandemic.

But addressing the consequences of Covid also means addressing the Covid-related ⬆️ in gun violence...

https://twitter.com/KateSullivanDC/status/1365335755275534343

2/ In 2020 US saw highest homicide spike on record 

In 2021, we've already had more gun deaths & injuries than this point last year

Truth is, the very companies helping us fight Covid are also directly impacted by gun violence....

3/ According to @everytown, total gun violence bill = $280B/year, including the $528.7M/year employers pay to cover costs of employee absence due to gun violence

That doesn't include costs associated w/ businesses *directly* experiencing gun violence

everytownresearch.org/report/the-eco….

@Everytown 4/ For instance, in 2017, there were 351 gun homicides in US workplaces—an average of nearly 1 person killed every day. Since 1999, there have been nearly 4x as many mass shootings in the workplace as there have been in schools... all of this comes at an economic cost...

@Everytown 5/ We're all familiar with the 2019 mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso (carried out by a racist targeting immigrants), but businesses routinely face everyday gun violence that doesn't make national headlines...

@Everytown 6/ Consider @target (which is helping w/ Covid)

According to @GunDeaths, Target experienced at least 90 instances of gun violence at or around its stores since 2014, resulting in 16 deaths & 37 injuries

That has an economic toll, not to mention emotional & lifelong toll...

@Everytown @Target @GunDeaths 7/ Under the pandemic, gun violence has only gotten worse -- and that's where businesses that have already recognized that they have a responsibility for the safety of their customers and employees can step up....What can they do, you ask?

@Everytown @Target @GunDeaths 8/ Businesses can:

- fund evidence-based violence intervention programs that have had a documented association in homicide reductions of 30 to 60%

- they can lobby lawmakers to strengthen gun laws

- they can end donations to lawmakers who have an A rating from @NRA...

@Everytown @Target @GunDeaths @NRA 9/ Since 2018, businesses like @DICKS, @Walmart, @Toms, @Levis and so many others chose to lean into building safer communities -- at least partly because that's what customers also expect...globalstrategygroup.com/wp-content/upl…

@Everytown @Target @GunDeaths @NRA @DICKS @Walmart @TOMS @LEVIS 10/ So, it's great to see businesses helping fight Covid-19

But keeping customers & employees safe means helping tackle rising gun deaths as well

Businesses that play their part will be doing the right thing, strengthening their brand & meeting customers where they already are