Ice cream giant Ben & Jerry’s is prompting millions of its customers in a new lobbying for stricter gun safety measures after the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York last month.
Christopher Miller, head of global activism at the ice cream company, told CNBC in an interview that the company has called on its 8 million Facebook fans and 515,000 Twitter followers to lobby lawmakers for stronger gun safety laws.
Ben & Jerry’s activism on guns comes as business leaders pressure Congress to change firearms laws after several mass shootings that killed 19 children and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas. millionaire Elon Musk told CNBC that he wants a “tighter” gun background check. In an open letter published in the Dallas Morning News, other Texas-based business leaders is called More background checks, red flag laws and raising the minimum age to buy a gun to 21.
Ben & Jerry’s was founded in the late 1970s by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, and is headquartered in Vermont with store locations around the world. Since then, Cohen and Greenfield have been vocal political advocates on a variety of policies, including gun laws, voting rights, and health care. Unilever is their parent company. treasurer Nelson PeltzA Republican supporter, recently joined its board.
When the “legislation comes on the floor, we would certainly encourage our fans to contact their policy makers for support.” [gun safety] law,” Miller told CNBC of the company’s plans to back gun proposals being discussed in Congress.
House of Representatives ready to vote This week on a gun safety bill lifts The purchase age of semiautomatic rifles is 18 to 21 years, limiting the size of gun ammunition magazines and providing a standard for safe gun storage. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D.N.Y., has yet to vote on gun safety legislation.
Miller also said the ice cream maker plans to cut ties with vendors who have worked with the firearms industry.
“We’ll make sure going forward we’re not working with supporters of the industry,” Miller said after being asked about Shook, Hardy & Bacon, one of his outside law firms, which has a large tobacco, There is practice of alcohol and firearms. “I think we’ll definitely be more considerate of the kind of service providers that we work with going forward.”
Representatives for Shook, Hardy and Bacon did not return requests for comment. After reaching out to the law firm about its work for Ben & Jerry’s, sections of its website showing Previous Work for a Vermont Company and the description of its large practice of tobacco, alcohol and firearms appears to have been removed.
Ben & Jerry’s publicly criticizes lawmakers for inaction after fatal shooting In Uvalde and Buffalo.
“This kind of gun violence in America must be stopped. But our leaders are more responsive to the gun lobby than the bereaved families of countless victims. Their inaction to address gun violence is, in itself, an action and is an act of violence,” the company statement said after the Uvalde shooting. shooting in buffalo Left 10 dead and three injured.
According to the statement, Ben & Jerry’s called on customers to “contact the Congressman and demand action to stop gun violence” and urged lawmakers to demand a ban on assault-style military weapons and high-capacity magazines. encouraged to support. The company plans to keep the lobbying pressure online as Congress debates the bill and solution, Miller said.
“We have a digital action platform that allows people to make calls on Capitol Hill. It allows them to send emails to their governors, their state legislators, and members of Congress. It allows people to call their elected officials on social media. allows tweeting and posting messages,” Miller said.
This isn’t the first time Ben & Jerry’s has played a political role in its fight for stronger gun laws.
Miller told CNBC that the company supports gun laws passed by Vermont state legislators in 2018. At the time, Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed into law measures tightening Vermont’s firearm laws, Including Buyers must pass necessary background checks.
The company’s political activism has come with some costs.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration, following Ben & Jerry’s decision to stop selling ice cream in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian Territories were taken To close contracts with parent company Unilever and its subsidiaries.