Activism is fun.
Here's the latest round of correspondence...
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Okay. This is interesting - You've changed your form letter to read "10 children" instead of "11 children." A step in the right direction...
Now, how about changing it to read "10 people under the age of 25, the vast majority of whom were involved in criminal activity, many with extensive established criminal records" and leave it at that? Because that's the _real_ story behind the numbers.
Again, many folks are VERY insulted that we, as legitimate firearms owners, have been lumped in with gangsters and other criminals in this attempt at solving the nonexistant problem of "gun violence."
I'm sure y'all feel good about this, but you're underinformed, and it'll end up costing. I like Levis jeans. My significant other likes Levis jeans. They hold up well in our active lifestyle - hunting, fishing, hiking, etc.. But we're not going to be able to buy them as long as the company keeps supporting folks who insist upon insulting us.
If Matthew Shepard had had a handgun, he might be alive today. Instead of crucified by gay-bashing rednecks.
A handgun allows the owner to say "No, please go away and do not attack me" and have it stick. It lets a 120 pound woman tell a 240 pound man that she'd really rather not be raped. It lets older or disabled people, who don't have the physical luxury of dedicating their lives to "unarmed self defense" live in safety.
Why do you insist upon rendering others defenseless?
-------Original Message-------
From:
[email protected]
Sent: 06/26/03 04:26 PM
To:
[email protected]
Subject: RE: Just heard about this.
>
> Hi:
Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Consumer feedback is
very important to us and we appreciate you taking the time to express
your opinions on this issue.
For several years, Levi Strauss & Co. has focused on empowering
youth to make social change on issues they care about. A leading
concern among youth is the increase in gun violence, which is
responsible for killing more American children than all natural causes
combined (10 children every day).
We hope to take a leadership position on this issue by supporting
PAX, a non-profit anti-violence organization, dedicated to the vision
of a society free of gun violence. Levi Strauss & Co. supports
PAX's goal to bring all Americans together to support common sense
solutions to the gun violence epidemic.
If you'd like more information about the PAX organization, please
visit their web site at
www.paxusa.org.
Thank you again for sharing your views with us. We respect your
individual opinion, your comments will be communicated to the
appropriate management personnel for their review and information.
Sincerely,
Elisabeth
Levi Strauss & Co.
eliher2616764
--------------------< you wrote >--------------------
From Name: bogie
From Address: SMTP:
[email protected]
I'm disturbed by your positon on this - The organization you donate to
tends to take cheap shots at non-criminal firearms owners, while at
the same time exaggerating its statistics in search of more and more
donations.
I am not a felon - every time I purchase a firearm, my name, social
security number, etc., is called in to the FBI to ascertain that. I have
also never been convicted (or charged with, for that matter) of a
misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, or had a restraining order
placed on me. How many of your workers, or your management,
would pass this test?
1. Firearms violence has been dropping for the past 10 years, while
firearms ownership has increased. Most firearms are owned by good
people, who are highly insulted when folks lump them in with
gangsters. The only "gun violence epidemic" is in the minds of people
who raise funds to fight it.
2. The only way that the PAX organization gets its figure of 11
"children" a day is if it counts criminals who are shot, either by other
criminals, by police, or by people defending themselves. And if they
define "children" as including folks up into their twenties. Don't
believe me - do your own research. I recommend the electronic
publications at
www.fbi.gov for beginning. Look at how many rapes,
assaults, etc., are visited upon women by assailants who are armed
only with "fists and feet." These women, had they been armed, would
have had the ability to say "no," and make it stick.
In seeking to disarm my girlfriend and myself, you are essentially
seeking to render us defenseless against criminals. I ask, why do you
wish harm upon us?
Other reading suggestions:
www.a-human-right.com
www.pinkpistols.com
Until you revise your policy in this matter, I'll be buying my jeans and
accessories from other manufacturers. And I buy a LOT of clothes.
====
For several years, Levi Strauss & Co. has focused on empowering
youth to make social change on issues they care about, therefore we
do still support PAX. A leading concern among youth is the increase
in gun violence, which is responsible for killing more American
children than all natural causes combined (11 children every day).
We hope to take a leadership position on this issue by supporting
PAX, a non-profit anti-violence organization, dedicated to the vision
of a society free of gun violence. Levi Strauss & Co. supports
PAX's goal to bring all Americans together to support common sense
solutions to the gun violence epidemic.
If you'd like more information about the PAX organization, please
visit their web site at
www.paxusa.org.
Thank you again for sharing your views with us. If you need to
contact us again, please write back or call us at 1-800-USA-LEVI or
email us at
[email protected] for further information. We are
available to assist you Monday through Friday from 5am - 8pm
Pacific Time, and on Saturday and Sunday from 7am - 5pm Pacific
Time.
Sincerely,
Vallory
Levi Strauss & Co.
>