San Francisco labels NRA as 'domestic terrorist'

San Francisco's legislature has passed a resolution labeling the National Rifle Association a "domestic terrorist organization".

The measure by the city's Board of Supervisors, passed on Tuesday, also states that "the City and County of San Francisco should take every reasonable step to limit those entities who do business with the City and County ... from doing business with this domestic terrorist organization".

"The National Rifle Association musters its considerable wealth and organizational strength to promote gun ownership and incite gun owners to acts of violence," the resolution states. "The National Rifle Association spreads propaganda that misinforms and aims to deceive the public about the dangers of gun violence, and ... the leadership of National Rifle Association promotes extremist positions, in defiance of the views of a majority of its membership and the public, and undermine the general welfare."

In response, the Fairfax, Virginia-based NRA said in a statement: "This ludicrous stunt by the Board of Supervisors is an effort to distract from the real problems facing San Francisco, such as rampant homelessness, drug abuse and skyrocketing petty crime, to name a few. The NRA will continue working to protect the constitutional rights of all freedom-loving Americans."

San Francisco City Supervisor Catherine Stefani introduced the resolution after a mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California on July 28. Three people, including two children, were fatally shot and 17 injured.

Twenty-two people were killed in a mass shooting at Walmart shopping center in El Paso, Texas, on Aug 3; nine in Dayton, Ohio, on Aug 4; and seven in Odessa and Midland, Texas, on Aug 31.

"People are dying every day in this country," Stefani said on Tuesday in an interview with KTVU in Oakland. "Doing nothing is not an option. And that's what the NRA continues to do."

US corporate reaction to gun violence this week included Cincinnati-based supermarket chain Kroger joining Walmart in requesting customers not to openly carry firearms in states where such behavior is legal.

Walmart also said this week that it would stop selling ammunition for handguns and short-barrel rifles.

"Rather than place the blame on the criminal, Walmart has chosen to victimize law-abiding Americans," the NRA said in response to the firearms policy changes by the Bentonville, Arkansas, retail giant.

Dick's Sporting Goods announced in March it would stop selling firearms and ammunition at 125 of its 700-plus locations. Kroger said last year that it would do the same at its Fred Meyer stores in the Pacific Northwest.

Starbucks, Target and Wendy's also have asked customers not to openly carry firearms when they visit their premises, even if legal to do so. But they are not enforcing a ban because they don't want to put their employees in confrontational situations.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

hengweili@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily 09/06/2019 page12)