{"id":11240,"date":"2015-02-09T10:25:23","date_gmt":"2015-02-09T15:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gunpoliticsny.com\/?p=11240"},"modified":"2015-02-09T10:25:23","modified_gmt":"2015-02-09T15:25:23","slug":"god-guns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gunpoliticsny.com\/?p=11240","title":{"rendered":"God & Guns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trinity Church in lower Manhattan is trying to get Walmart to stop selling guns<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“… Rev. Dr. James Cooper, says he isn\u2019t seeking a ban on the sale of assault weapons at Walmart.\u00a0 Rather, he\u2019s fighting to force the world\u2019s largest retailer to include a shareholder proposal in this April\u2019s proxy materials, to be voted on at this summer\u2019s annual meeting …”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I don’t believe that.<\/p>\n

“… It was the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. that proved the catalyst for Trinity\u2019s legal action, says Rev. Cooper.\u00a0 He recalls having coffee hour chats with parishioners about ways to help, including shareholder activism …”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This tells me that the good cleric didn’t just think this idea up himself.\u00a0 One of the antis latest strategies is trying to get people to divest their shares in gun companies.\u00a0 See Unload Your 401k<\/a>.\u00a0 This project, hiding behind astroturf front groups, is based out of Manhattan.<\/p>\n

“… One of the smaller investments in Trinity\u2019s diverse portfolio: about $2,000 worth of shares in Walmart\u00a0 …”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That means they own about 20 shares.<\/p>\n

I get to vote on a bunch of stupid proposals like this every year. \u00a0Generally any shareholder, or ones that own a certain minimum number of shares, can submit proposals to be voted on by all shareholders of the company.\u00a0 They all get shot down.\u00a0 Major holders own 51% of Walmart stock<\/a> so there is absolutely no way this proposal can pass.\u00a0 This is a public relations stunt by the church, nothing more.<\/p>\n