CALPERS Divests. What about Maryland?

After the tragedy at Newtown teachers discovered that their California State Teachers’ Retirement System had holdings in Cerberus Capital Management LP, which invests in the Freedom Group, the company that manufactures the Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle.  The Bushmaster semi-automatic was one of the weapons used to murder 20 children and six adults at Newtown.  According to Reuters, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System “decided last month to divest its holdings in makers of firearms and high-capacity ammunition clips illegal in California.”

This past Tuesday CALPERS, the entire California Pension Fund, voted to divest its interest in two gun manufacturers, Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, and Sturm, Ruger & Co.

In addition according to the same article,

New York City's top financial officer said on Friday that the city's $46.6 billion teachers' pension fund pulled its money out of publicly traded firearms manufacturers.

According to New York City Comptroller John Liu, the five companies from which the fund divested are Alliant Techsystems Inc, Olin Corp, Forjas Taurus SA, Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger.

What about our teachers in Maryland? Do you know where your money is?

How can we end gun violence? One way is to stop investing in gun manufacturers.