Following Advocacy from Students Demand Action Volunteers, Wesleyan Student Assembly Passes Resolution Encouraging University to Commit to a Responsible Investment Policy

This week, following advocacy from Students Demand Action volunteers, the Wesleyan Student Assembly passed Resolution 4.44, a resolution discouraging the university from investing endowment funds in the gun industry. This action comes just over a week after the launch of #KillerBusiness, a campaign by Students Demand Action and Everytown Support Fund calling on colleges and universities nationwide to divest from the firearms industry.

Among other things, the Wesleyan Student Assembly is calling on Wesleyan University to make an official commitment to not invest endowment funds in the gun industry and urges the university to publicly acknowledge its responsibility to support gun safety measures and communities impacted by gun violence. In addition to spearheading the passage of the resolution, Students Demand Action volunteers have also been in communication with Wesleyan University leadership on this issue.

Gun violence is a public health crisis in the United States, and guns are the number one killer of college aged students in this country. As the gun industry enables and profits off of the harm inflicted on our communities and our economy, gun companies have doubled down on their business practices, placing profits over human lives and refusing to take responsibility for the violence they enable. That’s why this year, Students Demand Action volunteers are asking colleges and universities to cut economic ties with the gun industry until these companies take accountability for their harmful practices. 

In January, volunteers and gun violence survivors with Students Demand Action released a comprehensive list of common sense steps the gun industry can take to reduce harm, including taking steps to keep guns out of the hands of criminals by securing their supply chains and refusing to work with bad dealers, market their products responsibly and honestly, stop making AR-15s and other assault weapons that use high-capacity magazines, and innovate to make guns safer rather than more deadly. Throughout the #KillerBusiness campaign, college students at Wesleyan University and around the country will be organizing on their campuses to hold their schools accountable for their investments and the economic role they play in supporting a killer industry. 

To speak with a Students Demand Action volunteer at Wesleyan University, do not hesitate to reach out.