US lawmakers urging gun manufacturers to testify before committee

By Al Mayadeen Net
Source: Agencies
7 Jul 2022 17:41

Financial information will be provided in the hearing - for that, lawmakers are demanding CEOs join the second hearing.

Gun violence and gun manufacturers - a long-standing relationship.

On Thursday, the US House Committee on Oversight and Reform said it has requested the CEOs of 3 major gun manufacturers to attend the upcoming hearing on gun violence.

“Following the Fourth of July shooting in Highland Park, IL, Chair @RepMaloney sent letters to three major gun manufacturers requesting their appearance at an @OversightDems hearing on July 20, 2022,” the committee wrote on social media.

The Washington Post recently reported that the letters were addressed to Marty Daniel, the CEO of Daniel Defense; Mark Smith, the president and CEO of Smith & Wesson Brands; and Christopher Killoy, the president and CEO of Sturm, Ruger & Co.

Taking place on June 8, this would mark the second hearing by the committee looking into the gun industry, and it will showcase witnesses from the Uvalde and Buffalo mass shootings which happened in May.

The committee revealed that there had been more than 200 mass shootings in the US in 2022, as of early June.

Carolyn Maloney, the Committee Chairwoman, is demanding that the CEOs be present in the second hearing as financial information is given to the committee, according to The Washington Post.

Maloney previously requested 5 gun manufacturers to provide gross revenue and profit for selling AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles, annual advertising and marketing costs, annual spending on federal and state lobbying, and NRA funding.

The committee has concerns that gun manufacturers weren't taking enough precautions to limit gun violence.

In a statement cited by The Washington Post, she said the CEOs needed to explain why they were selling rifles designed for the battlefield to civilians.