So is your 401k supporting the firearms industry?

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By Whskyjack, a Trail Mix Contributor

Florida Retirement Pension Plan had a $4 million stake in gun manufacturers

Just how invested are you in the firearms industry and do you want to be?  It seems we all are profiting from mass killings. Think about it.

The Barrons article: We’re All Gun Owners, and Here’s Why

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42 thoughts on “So is your 401k supporting the firearms industry?”

  3. Bloomberg take on the issue:
    Teacher Retirement Funds in 12 States Hold Gun Company Stocks
     
    Pensions for educators are invested in the firearms industry, including in states where students have been gunned down in recent years.
    …
    Pension funds managed for public school teachers in at least a dozen U.S. states, including New York and California, own stocks issued by the makers of firearms. Some states such as Florida own shares of American Outdoor Brands Corp., the company previously known as Smith & Wesson that manufactured the semiautomatic AR-15 used in the attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The type of assault rifle has been the weapon of choice in America’s mass shootings.

    The financial stakes held by teacher pension funds in gun companies, like those of other equities, each represent only a sliver of the multibillion-dollar state retirement systems’ investments, according to a Bloomberg analysis. But the holdings have already become a hot-button issue in Florida, where last week’s massacre prompted teachers and students to pressure public officials to prevent similar attacks.

    The Florida Education Association, which represents educators but doesn’t control the pension fund, urged the state body that does to sell its more than a half-million dollars’ worth of American Outdoor stock, as well as that of other gun companies.

    […continues…]
     

  4.  

    financial times:

    Carl Icahn sells shares days before steel tariffs unveiled

     

    ny daily news: Billionaire Carl Icahn dumps $31M in steel-related stocks before White House tariff talks

     

    think progress: 
    Trump confidant dumped millions in steel-related stock last week
     
    Carl Icahn has impeccable timing.
     

     

    and just to remind you about the bromance between Icahn and the twit, here’s toobin’s new Yorker piece from august:  When Carl Icahn Tried to Control Trump

     

  5. He’s BAAACCCKK!!!

    Embattled former Senate candidate Roy Moore is making a public plea for help to pay the legal fees he faces defending himself from a lawsuit brought by an Alabama woman who says he touched her sexually when she was 14 years old.

    Ina statement postedon his Senate campaign’s Facebook page, the Republican former judge made the ask in a grievance-filled note, saying that he faced a “vicious attack from lawyers in Washington D.C. and San Francisco who have hired one of the biggest firms in Birmingham Alabama to bring another legal action against me.”

    “My resources have been depleted and I have struggled to make ends meet,” Moore wrote, saying that his legal fees could exceed $100,000. “I have had to establish a legal defense fund, anything you give will be appreciated.”

    But wait, there’s more.

    “The liberal media, in association with some who want to destroy our Country,” he wrote, “… are doing everything they can to stop me.

    “Gays, lesbians, and transgenders have joined forces with those who believe in abortion, sodomy, and destruction of all that we hold dear. Unless we stand together we will lose our Country,” he continued.

    He said that “Christians can no longer afford to remain silent in these ‘perilous’ times,” taking aim at “covetous,” “unthankful,” “unholy” and “incontinent” “lovers of pleasure.”

    He coulda been a senator.

     

  7. also can hear the 22 min interview with toobin about Icahn and the twit article at sticher

    Two weeks ago, Carl Icahn announced that he was leaving his position as President Trump’s special advisor on regulatory reform. A few hours later, The New Yorker’s Patrick Radden Keefe published a story documenting how Icahn used his influence to attack regulations that hurt his business interests at oil refineries. Keefe joins guest host Jeffrey Toobin to discuss what Carl Icahn’s short, strange stint as an advisor and what it tells us about the Trump administration’s relationship with Wall Street.

  8. wonder what martha stewart thinks about Icahn and insider trading…. any prison household hints and how-tos for him?

  9. Kathleen Parker gives us some good advice:

    Dear world:
     
    Please pay no attention to the man behind the golden drapes.
     
    He doesn’t mean it.
     
    “What?”you say.“Doesn’t mean what?”
     
    Anything. Donald Trump doesn’t mean anything he says. At least not for long, so try not to react.Relax. Breathe. Wait.
     
    Contra Trump, nothing worth doing is easy, including ignoring the president of the United States. But ignore him, you must, lest he interpret your reaction as a challenge, which he’d, of course, aim to win at all costs — even if winning is losing. Give leveler heads and reality checkers time to change his mind, which, in fact,is easy.

    if only I could follow her advice.

  10. Pogo

    Sorry, the link worked the other day, I can’t access it now either, don’t know why it is behind the paywall now.

    Jack

  11. pogo, trouble with ignoring him is that he’ll keep ratcheting up the crazy until he gets his fix de jour. he’s an attention addict.   am afraid that nuking the norks is next… unless it’s dumping mel and  “hope”-ing for a wh wedding first for a fourth wife.

  12. Days before the election, Stormy Daniels threatened to cancel deal to keep alleged affair with Trump secret

    […]
    The timing of the Oct. 27 payment, 13 days after the initial deadline and just 12 days before the election, could be significant. Two complaints filed with the Federal Election Commission argue that the payment was intended to influence the Nov. 8 election and violated campaign finance law because it was not reported as an in-kind donation.
     
    In one complaint, the progressive research group American Bridge argues that had Trump been interested only in protecting his reputation, he could have secured Daniels’s silence in 2011, when she first spoke with reporters about the alleged affair. Instead, the complaint says, Cohen waited until October 2016 — when Trump faced the prospect of a news story about his marital infidelity landing shortly before the election.
    The second complaint was filed by Common Cause, a government watchdog group.

     
    “The fact that this payment was made immediately before the presidential general election strongly supports Common Cause’s claim that the payment was about the election and to influence the election,” said Paul S. Ryan, vice president of policy and litigation at Common Cause.
     
    Some campaign-finance experts see parallels to the case of former senator John Edwards (D-N.C.), who was indicted by federal authorities in 2011 on charges that he used money from wealthy donors to hide an extramarital affair. The jury acquitted him on one charge and deadlocked on five other counts.
     
    Cohen has denied violating campaign-finance law.
    […continues…]

     

  15. yesterday while all else around him was chaos, twit took time out to tweet more important matters:

    Alec Baldwin, whose dying mediocre career was saved by his terrible impersonation of me on SNL, now says playing me was agony. Alec, it was agony for those who were forced to watch. Bring back Darrell Hammond, funnier and a far greater talent!

     

    Baldwin’s retort to that was delicious: 

    Agony though it may be, I’d like to hang in there for the impeachment hearings, the resignation speech, the farewell helicopter ride to Mara-A-Lago. You know. The Good Stuff. That we’ve all been waiting for.

  16. Sturgeone,

    Npr had an interview this morning with Anthony Scaramucci. He did his best to present a sane face for the President.

    Scaramucci is angling for his old job back now that Hope Hicks is gone. He is also ready to take on General Kelly. Minced no words. Scrappy little fella.

    The Mooch wants back in the loop to spread the poop.

  18. RebelliousRenee,

    Hoping you & beautiful New England are OK.

    I put my trusty Tracker in 4 wheel drive & carried on.

    It’s what we do. 😉 ❄❄❄

     

  19. maher on a less serious note and a bit raunchier than usual.  [have to give him a kudo tho’ for having those parkland students on (see above video) ]

     

  20. renee, hear anything from old sea?  sure hope she’s okay.  looks pretty bad even in boston let alone nantucket and the vineyard.

    will rick get any ski time out of this?

  22. sj & patd….

    Old Sea survived just fine…  she’s been posting on FB this morning.  The center of the storm was further south than they predicted.  We were supposed to get 2 inches of rain and then about 9 inches of snow last night.  We got light to moderate rain and maybe half an inch of snow.   Thanks for thinking of us.

    The skiing in the southern part of the state is almost over.  We are leaving in a few hrs to go to our yearly ski trip up north in Lincoln NH.  We’ve been told there’s still plenty of snow up there.  So Rick will have a great skiing week…  while I enjoy a good book or 2, and of course, the hot tub.

    Pogo…  I’ll wave to all your friends in Campton when we drive through.

    Jack… I haven’t got a clue in what companies our $$ is invested in…  but I’m sure there’s stuff in our portfolio we wish wasn’t there.

  24. Mrs. Jack sign me up for one of her company volunteer do gooding projects, couldn’t do the lazy Sat morning stuff.  But I’m back

  25. As I remember and my take from the article is that if you are invested in a broad based fund then you own gun stock.

    2 it is more important to the gun makers that they are in the funds then it is for you. If mutual funds and etf’s would remove the gun manufacturers you would even know but they would suffer.

    Jack

  27. Georgia just stuck a tiny thorn into delta’s thumb. Delta will get it out with a pair of Vise-Grips and a ball peen hammer.

  31. sturge, delta’s being courted with open arms

    like Kansas  KSNF:
     TOPEKA (CAPITOL BUREAU) — Moving the Delta headquarters to Kansas is what one lawmaker is proposing after Georgia lawmakers voted to eliminate a tax cut benefiting the airline company.
    “I think what Georgia did was a knee jerk decision to score political points,” said State Rep. Brandon Whipple, D-Wichita.
    Hours after Georgia lawmakers voted on a tax-bill to eliminate a fuel-tax exemption worth about $38 million to Delta, Whipple took to Twitter to invite the airline company to relocate to the Sunflower State.
    “If Delta is looking for a state that knows how to treat a business right, then Kansas is the perfect place particularly Wichita,” explained Whipple.
    Georgia lawmakers made the decision to eliminate the tax breaks after Delta said it would no longer offer NRA members discounts. In a memo posted on the airline’s website Friday, the company’s CEO said “Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale.”
    Whipple said while the gun debate is at the center of the dispute between Delta and the state of Georgia, putting politics aside for economic growth is something Kansans could do.
    “I think if we were able to bring those jobs here, then personal politics would be set aside,” he said.
    He admits it’s a long shot, but said it doesn’t hurt to ask.
    “If Delta isn’t looking to move and someone else is, then maybe we can pull them in and bring jobs to our state,” he said.
    There are other states looking to entice Delta including Connecticut where the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting occurred.
     

    new York and Connecticut according to westfaironline:

    Govs. Malloy and Cuomo invite Delta Air Lines to move HQ to their states

    [….]
    Malloy pitched Delta CEO Ed Bastian in a letter that stressed what he claimed to be common bonds between the airline and the state’s political climate. “I ask you to consider relocating your headquarters to the great state of Connecticut,” Malloy wrote. “As I am sure you are well aware, Connecticut is a state where we’ve put partisanship aside and passed common sense gun laws.”
     
    Across the border, Cuomo used Twitter to invite Delta to become an Empire State-based company. “@Delta, if Georgia politicians disagree with your stand against gun violence, we invite you to move your headquarters to New York,” tweeted Cuomo.
    […continues…]

     

     

  32. It’s not like Delta doesn’t have enough to worry about without a bunch of Georgia yahoos trying to pee in their Cheerios…..

  33. update from their gofundme page
    $2,935,058 of $3.5M goal
     

     
    Raised by 36,915 people in 12 days
    EDIT – FEBRUARY 28

    My name is Cameron Kasky. I am a student at Stoneman Douglas.Together with my classmates, I created the #NeverAgain movement as well as March for Our Lives. Our team has been working hard since day one.In just over a week, we have raised over $2.7 million and we’re just getting started with the change we want to see. We’re especially proud of the fact that over 34,000 people have contributed through our GoFundMe, making an average donation of $80 dollars. Half of the funds raised on this GoFundMe will go toward the March For Our Lives Action Fund, a 501c4 that will cover expenses associated with the march taking place in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, March 24th. You can learn more about that here.The other half of the funding raised on this GoFundMe will provide relief and financial support to the victims and families of the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School via the Broward Education Foundation .These donations are not tax deductible. Thank you.

    #MarchForOurLives: https://twitter.com/AMarch4OurLives#NeverAgain: https://twitter.com/neveragainmsd https://twitter.com/Emma4Change https://twitter.com/cameron_kasky https://twitter.com/davidhogg111 https://twitter.com/JaclynCorin https://twitter.com/al3xw1nd

  34. in addition to that gofundme page (hope it’s authentic) here’s also what looks like their home page  for mission statement and to  sign petition and the following

    Your support matters
    Make a Donation
    Donations made here will go towards the Washington, D.C. March For Our Lives on March 24 and the Broward Education Foundation.

    DONATE

    MERCHANDISE
    Merch for the March
    All profits from sales will go the Washington D.C. March For Our Lives on March 24.  Merchandise will ship on March 12.

    BUY MERCH

     

  35. a little change of location plans according to nbc 4:
     
    March for Our Lives Planned Between Capitol, Trump Hotel
    Organizers are expecting as many as 500,000 people to attend
    Teenage survivors of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, are seeking permission to march to end gun violence between the Capitol and the Trump International Hotel.
    Organizers of the March for Our Lives have requested permits to use Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd Street NW and 12th Street NW on March 24, National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said Wednesday.
    The group had previously requested to use the National Mall between 3rd Street NW and 14th Street NW, but another group had already reserved the space.
    Organizers of the march expect as many as 500,000 people to attend. In their application, they said they expected to have a lineup of student speakers, guest speakers, musicians and video tributes.
    [….]
    An event permit for Pennsylvania Avenue falls under the jurisdiction of D.C.
    For the march in D.C., more than 32,000 said on the Facebook page for the event that they’re going.
    Similar marches are planned on the same date in cities across the country, as well as is in Brussels, London and Toronto, among other cities worldwide.
    An online fundraiser for March for Our Lives had raised more than $2.8 million as of Thursday morning. Half of the funds will go toward the march, and half will go to shooting victims and their families, the page says.
    A number of celebrities have donated funds for the march, including George and Amal Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Steven Spielberg.
     

     

     

  36. Georgia’s just about as dumb as a cardboard box full of 28 oz. ball peen hammers.

    And now that the South has spread like a staff infection ravaging the thorax of the entire nation, the country is in dire straits, and no one is safe, at any speed.

    We got us a southern strategy, boys…….Saddle up!

  37. The trees are blooming & the ducks are in the neighborhood flower beds looking for good nesting spots.

  39. Also seem around the neighborhood, an emblem on a v-hick-l that reads,”The Second Amendment Is My Gun Permit.”

    As some try to move in a new direction, the gun-nutz are doubling down.

     

  40. Spent twenty-two hours in what can be best called “modern rustic camping”.  Power went out yesterday afternoon and was finally restored today.  At least I have a fireplace, too bad the wood was not up near the door.  Saved up six liters of water and had several new flashlights, which work.  A propane stove top worked well so it was Chicken and Italian sweet sausage soup with rice for dinner.  This morning left over coffee reheated to boiling for breakfast.  All with a roof over head.

    I see that SFB is still around.  Oh well, the ghost stories told around the fire were actually true.

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