Gun control activist David Hogg on Tuesday called for the boycott of at least 15 financial firms because of their investments in gun manufacturers.
Hogg, a 18-year-old student who survived the February mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., used his Twitter platform to push for the boycott of 15 financial firms, specifically the Vanguard Group and and BlackRock.
"@blackrock and @Vanguard_Group are two of the biggest investors in gun manufacturers; if you use them, feel free to let them know. Thanks 😉" Hogg tweeted. "#BoycottVanguard #BoycottBlackrock."
#BoycottVanguard #BoycottBlackrock
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) April 17, 2018
Hogg then tweeted out a list of 15 financial firms, instructing his followers to "feel free to tag these companies." While the tweet does not say which gun manufacturers the financial institutions have investments in or a source for the data, the screenshots appear to show the number of shares the firms have in the gun manufacturers.
More info, feel free to tag these companies pic.twitter.com/KODc2by5yO
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) April 17, 2018
CNBC reported earlier Tuesday that BlackRock and Vanguard, giant managers of exchange traded funds and other investments, are the biggest owners of publicly traded firearms makers like Sturm Ruger and American Outdoor Brands.
This is not the first boycott Hogg has led this year. Hogg, who coordinated with Media Matters for America among other liberal-leaning groups, went after Fox News host Laura Ingraham and her show's advertisers late last month after she tweeted an article about him being turned down from four different campuses in the University of California school system.
While Ingraham apologized on Twitter a day after the initial tweet, Hogg did not accept the apology and instead continued to call on his Twitter followers to help put pressure on Ingraham's advertisers. The attention led to at least 27 advertisers pulling ads from the show.
It is not clear whether Hogg coordinated Tuesday's boycott with any other organizations, but his tweets came hours after the American Federation of Teachers union, which has donated over $860,000 to Democratic members of Congress during the 2018 election cycle, sent out a press release calling for investors to hold gun manufacturers accountable for "risks to society."