Interesting times we live in, as BlackRock looks to wield its investment power in the hot gun debate. Is this a more activist face for the firm or the natural evolution of an asset manager reading the tea leaves of customers and the market? Should companies look for the endorsement of the gun lobby or not?
In a client update outlining its approach to the gun industry on Friday, BlackRock said last month’s deadly shooting at a Florida high school has driven home for the firm the “terrible toll from gun violence” in the U.S., something that “requires response and action from a wide range of entities across both the public and private sectors.”