New York City’s public advocate is calling for the city’s largest pension fund to consider divesting from companies that sell guns.
The Daily News reported that Letitia James will introduce a resolution Tuesday calling for the New York City Employee Retirement System to study a plan to divest from companies such as Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Kroger supermarkets.
James, who is a trustee of the NYCERS, said owning stock in gun sellers poses a risk to shareholders because they could face lawsuits.
“Our nation continues to bleed from mass shootings, and we have to get guns off our streets and off our department store shelves,” James told the newspaper.
The NYCERS has $109 million invested in Walmart alone. The company said it sells guns “safely and responsibly.”
