CEOs are tired of being held responsible for gun regulation | CNN Business

Corporate America's Silence on Gun Regulation Sparks Frustration Among CEOs.

In the wake of another mass school shooting in Nashville, corporate executives are surprisingly quiet on gun control. The United States has come to rely on large corporations as political advocates, but their silence is jarring.

CEOs have long been vocal on issues like gun control, with nearly 150 major companies joining forces in 2019 to demand legislation addressing the issue. However, since the latest mass shooting, there has been a noticeable lack of action from corporate America.

Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, who has direct lines to top executives, attributes their silence to frustration. They've taken a strong stance on gun control but need civil society to join them in pushing for change.

"I just got off a CEO call on voting rights and this morning we had a forum on sustainability – CEOs are still the most active on these fronts," Sonnenfeld said. "It's like they're turning to them to be our saviors on every topic."

Sonnenfeld believes that corporate America is not the solution to all societal issues. He notes that during the 1960s, social change was primarily driven by clergy, student activism, and other groups.

The CEOs are frustrated, but their frustration stems from feeling like they're being expected to fix everything on their own. They've already taken a strong stance on gun control but need others to join them in advocating for change.

It's worth noting that while corporate America does wield significant financial influence, it doesn't have the same level of sway as previously thought. Campaign contributions from big businesses have decreased since 2020, and many companies are taking a more measured approach after the January 6 Capitol attack.

Tesla's sales report also offers a glimpse into the current state of the industry. The company reported a modest 4% increase in sales, but it still produced more vehicles than it delivered to customers for the fourth straight quarter.

I'm kinda disappointed with corporate America right now . They're supposed to be all about change and progress, but on something as important as gun control, they're just mum . I get that they've taken a strong stance in the past, but this silence is frustrating, especially after another mass shooting .

It's like they're waiting for others to pick up the slack, but it's not just about them stepping up – it's about having a collective voice that can make real change . Sonnenfeld makes some valid points about CEOs feeling like they need to be saviors on every topic, but I think we need more than just corporate America pushing for change .

It's also interesting to note that their influence might not be as big as it used to be . The fact that campaign contributions from big businesses have decreased since 2020 is a good thing, but we still need to see some real action from these companies .

its like they just lost their motivation or something corporate america was supposed to be all about progress and social change, but now they're just waiting around for someone else to pick up the slack. i mean, the CEOs are still making bank off their companies, so what's the holdup? they can't just sit back and do nothing when there's a mass shooting it feels like they're more worried about keeping those shareholders happy than actually doing something about gun violence.

I'm so disappointed to see corporate America being super quiet on gun control right now . I get that they've taken a strong stance in the past, but it's like they're feeling left out or something? Can't we rely on them to help push for change, especially after all those companies joined forces back in 2019?

But at the same time, I don't think corporate America is the ultimate solution to everything . We need civil society to join the conversation and demand more from our leaders. It's like, they're still super active on issues like voting rights and sustainability, but suddenly it's all about gun control?

I'm also kinda curious - what happened to the big business campaign contributions since 2020 ? Maybe that's a part of why they're being so quiet? And yeah, let's be real, Tesla's sales report isn't exactly rosy ...

I don’t usually comment but I think it’s weird that corporations are being held responsible for solving all these social issues... like voting rights and sustainability too. Can't they just focus on their own stuff for once? I mean, I get why they'd want to make a difference, but shouldn’t we be looking at the government and civil society more for answers?

I'm also a bit confused by this whole idea of corporate America being the solution to everything... it sounds like they're expecting everyone else to just follow their lead. Newsflash: not all issues can be solved with a fancy marketing campaign or a PR stunt. Some problems are way deeper than that.

And what’s up with the decrease in campaign contributions from big businesses since 2020? Is that really something we should be celebrating? It feels like they're just waiting for permission to speak out on the issues they care about... but where's the leadership in that?

I mean, it's kinda wild that corporate America is being so quiet on gun control after all those CEOs came together to demand action back in 2019 . It feels like they're trying to save themselves from having to be "saved" by civil society on every issue . Sonnenfeld's right, though - CEOs aren't the solution to everything; we need more voices at the table . And honestly, it's a bit refreshing that campaign contributions from big businesses have been dwindling since 2020 . Maybe they're realizing that having too much influence can be kinda... problematic .

Ugh, CEOs can't even get together without someone expecting them to single-handedly fix the entire system . Like, corporate America is already a major player in shaping policy (no pun intended), and now they're just supposed to swoop in with their magic wand and make all the problems disappear? . It's like society's been handed over to the CEOs, and we're supposed to just sit back and let them handle everything .

And honestly, who needs civil society when you've got a bunch of powerful CEOs on your side? It feels like they're being patronized and expected to do all the heavy lifting. Newsflash: corporate America isn't a team of superheroes fighting crime; they're just trying to make money .

I'm getting so tired of CEOs getting all the credit for being change-makers . I mean, sure, they're making some great moves on issues like sustainability and voting rights, but gun control is a whole different story. It's like, come on guys, we need your voice now more than ever! The silence from corporate America is deafening, especially after all the lip service they gave to gun control in 2019. I'm not saying they're not passionate about it, but where are they when it really matters? It's time for them to put their money (and influence) behind what they claim to care about. We need a collective effort here, not just CEOs calling the shots

I'm so done with corporate America's silence on gun regulation . Like, come on guys! You're one of the most influential groups out there and you're choosing to sit this one out? I know they've taken a stance before, but that was 2019, dude. The world has changed since then. We need them to use their influence to push for real change. It's not like they can just turn around and expect everyone else to fix it. And Sonnenfeld's right, they're feeling frustrated because nobody's giving them the support they need. I mean, CEOs are already busy trying to save the world from climate change and sustainability issues ... when will we see some real action on gun control? It's about time they joined forces with civil society to make some noise .

CEOs are not saving the world from gun violence on their own

.. corporate America is supposed to be all about making money and influencing stuff, but on gun control they're just super quiet . It's like they're trying to figure out if they should even care about it anymore? I mean, 150 major companies came together in 2019 to demand change, so you'd think they'd still be pushing for that now. But instead, they're waiting on civil society to join them... which is just not how it works . The thing is, these CEOs are frustrated because they feel like everyone's expecting them to solve all our problems alone . And yeah, their financial influence might be waning a bit since 2020... but that's not gonna make 'em speak up on stuff they care about .

i mean come on its like corporations should be speaking out on gun control theyre basically the most influential ppl in america right now but instead theyre just chillin meanwhile we got another mass shooting happening and nothing's being done about it i know they've taken a stance before but it seems like their words arent carrying much weight anymore gotta be real though corporate influence is still huge tho but its not as magical as ppl think it is

so corporate America is being super quiet on gun control now ... like what's new? and i'm not buying the "we're just frustrated" excuse from these CEOs . they've had years to take action and now that something actually happens, they get all mopey . newsflash: just because you have a big bank account doesn't mean you're some kinda superhero ... or in this case, savior of the world . btw, who needs CEOs to fix everything when we got actual community leaders and activists on the ground ? and btw, Tesla's sales report was pretty underwhelming ... maybe they should focus less on being a hero and more on making better electric cars

its kinda weird that big corps are so quiet on gun control now... they used to be all about demandin' change but now they're just chillin . i mean, they did join forces with 150+ companies back in 2019 and everything . now it's like they're waitin' for someone else to pick up the slack .

i guess its true what that yale prof said - CEOs are still super vocal on other stuff like voting rights and sustainability , but gun control is like a different story . maybe they just need some more push from civil society or somethin' .

"Corporate America's silence on gun control is like their electric car sales - underwhelming "

I'm so done with the silence from corporate America on gun control ! Like, they took a stand back in 2019 and now it's like "meh" after another school shooting . We need CEOs to step up again, but this time we gotta hold them accountable too . Can't rely solely on them to be our saviors, fam . Maybe it's time for us to take matters into our own hands?