A group of US investors urged fellow shareholders to vote in favour of a proposal requesting the development of a human rights policy at Smith & Wesson, a leading manufacturer of firearms sold to civilians. The group is hoping to gain majority support at the firm’s AGM, held 12 September, after the proposal was backed by 44% of shareholders last year and 36% in 2019. The investors said recent incidents of gun violence, including the killing of 21 children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas, and 10 grocery shoppers in Buffalo, New York, “reinforce the seriousness” of the risks created by Smith & Wesson’s failure to systematically assess or track the adverse impacts of its products. The adoption of a human rights due diligence process “would allow Smith & Wesson to monitor these risks more precisely and take actions to prevent potentially costly future impacts”, they added. The resolution was filed by the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment, a member of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.
Shareholders seek support for proposal coming up for a vote at Smith & Wesson's $SWBI annual meeting on Monday calling for a #HumanRights policy to help mitigate #GunViolence. The business case for this policy is clear and the moral case even more so. https://t.co/EBrJXlPtav pic.twitter.com/682ixzeRr2
— ICCR (@ICCRonline) September 9, 2022
