In November 2016, I wrote an open letter requesting that gun owners not bring firearms into our stores, offices, or facilities, even in states where it’s permitted by law. This was following an incident in one of our stores in which a customer accidentally shot and injured himself while trying on a pair of jeans. While that was bad, it could have been worse: The bullet could have killed him, another customer, or one of our employees.

In the days after I published that letter, I received threats to our stores, our business, and even on my life. It was unsettling. But these personal attacks pale in comparison to the threats that activists and survivors from Parkland, Sandy Hook, and daily incidents of gun violence face every time they speak up on this issue.

As president and CEO of a values-driven company that’s known the world over as a pioneer of the American West and one of the great symbols of American freedom, I take the responsibility of speaking up on the important issues of our day very seriously. We can’t take on every issue. But as business leaders with power in the public and political arenas, we simply cannot stand by silently when it comes to the issues that threaten the very fabric of the communities where we live and work. While taking a stand can be unpopular with some, doing nothing is no longer an option.

That’s why Levi Strauss & Co. is stepping up our support for gun violence prevention. You may wonder why a company that doesn’t manufacture or sell guns is wading into this issue, but for us, it’s simple. Americans shouldn’t have to live in fear of gun violence. It’s an issue that affects all of us—all generations and all walks of life.

The stakes could not be higher. On an average day, 96 Americans are killed by guns, and hundreds more are wounded. Most are suicides or unintentional shootings. Our nation’s gun homicide rate is more than 25 times the average rate of other high-income countries. Some shootings make the headlines; some you never hear of; but each one is a tragedy.

So today, on top of our previous actions, Levi Strauss & Co. is lending its support for gun violence prevention in three new areas.

First, we have established the Safer Tomorrow Fund, which will direct more than $1 million in philanthropic grants from Levi Strauss & Co. over the next four years to fuel the work of nonprofits and youth activists who are working to end gun violence in America.

Second, I’m proud to announce that Levi Strauss & Co. is partnering with Everytown for Gun Safety and executives including Michael Bloomberg to form Everytown Business Leaders for Gun Safety, a coalition of business leaders who believe, as we do, that business has a critical role to play in and a moral obligation to do something about the gun violence epidemic in this country. I encourage every CEO and business leader reading this to consider the impact we could make if we stood together alongside the broad coalition of concerned parents, youth, elders, veterans, and community and faith leaders who are committed to shaping a safer path forward.

Third, we know that some of our employees have been personally affected by this issue and want to see change. Therefore, we are doubling our usual employee donation match to organizations aligned with our Safer Tomorrow Fund. In addition, we’re encouraging employees who are concerned about gun violence to get involved. Levi Strauss & Co. provides employees five hours a month (60 hours a year) in paid volunteer time and we recently expanded this to include political activism. We’re encouraging our employees to use their time to make an impact.

I know that Americans, including many of our own consumers, employees, and other partners, hold a wide spectrum of views related to guns. I’m not here to suggest we repeal the Second Amendment or to suggest that gun owners aren’t responsible. In fact, as a former U.S. Army officer, I took a solemn oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. But as retired four-star general Michael Hayden once said, “There are some weapons out there that frankly nobody should have access to. And actually, there are some people out there who should never have access to any weapons.”

We can’t insulate ourselves from every threat. We can’t “harden” every place we gather—whether it be our schools, workplaces, shops, churches, or entertainment venues. But we can take common-sense, measurable steps—like criminal background checks on all gun sales—that will save lives.

After the Parkland tragedy, support for stronger gun laws reached 68%—the highest level in 25 years. And support is being sustained by the powerful movement led by youth from Parkland, Chicago, Oakland, Baltimore, and other cities across the nation.

As a company, we have never been afraid to take an unpopular stand to support a greater good. We integrated our factories in the American South years before the Civil Rights Act was passed. We offered benefits to same-sex partners in the 1990s, long before most companies did. We pulled our financial support for the Boy Scouts of America when it banned gay troop leaders.

While each one of these stands may have been controversial at the time, history proved the company right in the long run. And I’m convinced that while some will disagree with our stand to end gun violence, history will prove this position right too.

Our country has faced seemingly intractable issues like this before, but together we’ve overcome them. We can do it again. Together we can put an end to the gun violence epidemic in America.

Chip Bergh is the president and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. and serves on the company’s board of directors.

2016年11月，我写了一封公开信，呼吁大家即便是在可以合法持枪的州，也不要携枪进入我们的门店、办公室或其他设施。因为就在此前不久，我们的一家门店刚刚发生了一起事故，一名顾客在试穿牛仔裤时，他的枪支不慎走火，打伤了他自己。这已经是不幸中的万幸了——这颗子弹甚至有可能打死了他，或是打死打伤其他顾客，甚至是我们的员工。

在我发表那封信之后的几天里，不断有人向我们的门店、我们的公司甚至我本人的生命发出威胁。但在帕克兰、桑迪胡克等地枪击案的死难者和幸存者面前，在谈枪色变的普通民众面前，他们的人身攻击显得是那样苍白无力。

我们是一家价值导向型企业，这个品牌代表着美国西部的开拓者精神，是美国自由主义的象征之一，作为它的总裁兼CEO，我有责任对社会的重要问题公开发声。我们当然无法解决所有问题。但作为在公共政治领域有一定发言权的商业领袖，在严重威胁社会安全的问题上，我们根本做不到袖手旁观。虽然有些人不喜欢企业领袖在社会问题上选边站队，但我们已经没有其他选择了。

这就是为什么李维公司要支持控枪。你或许不明白，一家不涉及枪支生产销售的公司为什么要趟这个浑水，但在我们看来，答案很简单：美国人不应该活在枪支暴力的阴影之下。这个问题影响着我们所有人，影响着世世代代、各行各业的美国人民。

枪支暴力带给美国社会的伤害已经无以复加。平均每天有96个美国人死于枪击，还有几百人因枪击受伤，其中大多数是自杀或误伤。美国的枪杀案发案率是其他高收入国家平均水平的25倍。有些枪击案成了热门头条，但还有些案件你根本没有听说过。但不管怎样，每起枪击案都是一个悲剧。

因此，从今天开始，除了我们以往的行动之外，李维公司还将在三个新领域支持对枪支暴力的预防。

首先，我们建立了“更安全的明天”基金。未来四年，我们将从公司营收中拿出100万美元以上的慈善捐款，用于支持旨在制止美国枪支暴力的非盈利组织和青年活动人士。

其次，我很荣幸地宣布，李维公司将与“百城枪支安全联盟”和迈克尔·布隆伯格等企业家一道，建立“百城枪支安全企业领袖联合会”。我们相信，作为企业领袖，我们有义务做些什么，以阻止枪支暴力在这个国家的蔓延。我鼓励每个读到此文的企业CEO和商业领袖想一想，如果我们大家都挺身而出，建立一个由孩子的家长、青年、老人、退伍老兵、社区领袖和宗教领袖组成的广泛联盟，携手为社会塑造更安全的未来，那我们会给社会带来怎样的影响？

第三，我们知道，我们的一些员工也深受枪支暴力之害，希望看到改变。因此，我们的员工每捐出1块钱，公司就会向“更安全的明天”基金会捐赠2块钱。此外，我们还鼓励那些关心枪支暴力的员工参与进来。李维公司为员工提供了每月5小时（每年60小时）的带薪义工时间。最近我们决定，此类义工活动也包括政治活动。我们鼓励员工抽出时间，对社会造成影响。

我知道，包括我们的消费者、员工和合作伙伴在内，普通美国人对是否应该禁枪持有十分广泛的观点。这里我并不是说要废除宪法第二修正案，也不是说持枪者都是不负责任的人。作为一名前美国陆军军官，我庄严宣誓支持和捍卫美国宪法。但是，正如已退休的四星上将迈克尔·海登所言：“有些武器是普通人根本不应该接触的，有些人我们根本不应该让他接触武器。”

我们没有办法不让自己暴露在任何威胁中，我们也做不到“强化”每个有人的地方的安保——不管是学校、公司、商店、教堂还是养老院。但我们至少可以采取一些常识性的重要举措——比如对所有买枪者进行犯罪前科调查——这将拯救不少人的生命。

在帕克兰惨案后，支持强势控枪法案的比例已经达到68%，这也是近25年来的最高水平。随着帕克兰、芝加哥、奥克兰、巴尔的摩等大城市接连掀起呼吁控枪的运动，人民的控枪呼声也是一直居高不下。

作为一家企业，为了社会的利益，我们并不害怕采取某些人不喜欢的立场。早在《民权法案》通过之前，我们就整合了在美国南部的工厂。早在上世纪90年代，我们就为同性伴侣提供了福利，这要比大多数公司还早得多。当美国童子军决定禁止同性恋作为领导者时，我们还撤回了对它的经济支持。

这些立场在当时都是有争议的，但历史证明，从长期来看，公司选择的立场都是正确的。我相信，虽然有人不支持我们的控枪立场，但历史会证明，我们的立场是正确的。

我们的国家以前也曾面临过类似的棘手问题，但我们共同克服了这些问题，这一次也不会例外。只要我们携起手来，我们就能终结美国的枪支暴力泛滥问题。（财富中文网）

本文作者Chip Bergh是李维斯公司总裁兼CEO，也是该公司的董事会成员。

译者：朴成奎