CONECT leaders and shareholders gathered in Bridgeport and Hamden at midday Tuesday to log-on and listen in to the American Outdoor Brands Corp (AOBC or Smith & Wesson) annual shareholder meeting. Pending on the agenda of the meeting was a shareholder resolution requiring the company to report to its shareholders in 2019 on the repetitional and liability risks to the company due to its products being used in gun violence and on its efforts to develop safer products. Similar gatherings took place in greater Chicago and in Cleveland. The resolution, developed by our allies at the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, passed despite the vehement opposition of the company’s management and board. CONECT, Metro IAF, and the Do Not Stand Idly Bycampaign had supported an identical shareholder resolution for Sturm Ruger, Inc. which passed at its shareholder meeting in May. See press coverage below:
