Disney CEO Bob Iger Speaks Out on Gun Control 10 Years After Sandy Hook Tragedy

“Boomerang CEO” Bob Iger has only recently returned to the top position within the Walt Disney Company and he is already working on changes to the company’s leadership structure, meeting with Cast Members and employees, and even speaking out on gun control.

Bob Iger attended the Sandy Hook Promise Benefit, an evening of awareness and fundraising by the organization that was started nearly 10 years ago by parents of the victims who tragically lost their lives in the deadliest school shooting in our country’s history.

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Joining Iger at the event, which took place on December 6, 2022, in New York City, was former President Barack Obama and Academy Award Winning actor Matthew McConaughey. Iger, who has been a vocal supporter of stronger gun control for several years, was honored at the Sandy Hook Promise Benefit for his support of the Start With Hello program that works to create more socially inclusive environments.

According to a report by the Hollywood Reporter, Iger noted that stopping shootings before they take place “should be among our highest priorities.” The CEO went on to say:

As a grandfather, as a father, as CEO of The Walt Disney Company, I believe there is no greater or more important task than ensuring the safety and well-being of our children. Those of us who are in positions to affect change, whether it’s by influencing laws of shaping culture or supporting organizations on the frontlines, I think we have an extra responsibility.

President Obama’s talk during the event noted that he remembers the day of the Sandy Hook shooting, December 14, 2022, as the “single darkest day,” of his presidency, recalling the pain he felt when moves to restrict access to guns were stalled due to congressional inaction.

McConaughy, who has been an advocate of gun control for several years, was a native of Uvalde, Texas, one of the most recent and devastating school shootings to take place this year, and another at an elementary school all-too familiar to the families of the victims lost at Sandy Hook. As Obama noted during the event, not one week has gone by without a mass shooting this year in the U.S.

Iger’s stance on gun control is not new, and as shootings continue to take the lives of innocent people across the country, the CEO has continued to speak out. In addition to the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016, Iger has also shared his desire for stricter gun control following the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, and in several instances on his personal Twitter account:

By not acting to stop gun violence, we are failing our children and failing our country.

— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) May 19, 2018

More information on Sandy Hook Promise:

Sandy Hook Promise is a national nonprofit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Based in Newtown, Connecticut, our intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation. By empowering youth to “know the signs” and uniting all people who value the protection of children, we can take meaningful actions in schools, homes, and communities to prevent gun violence and stop the tragic loss of life.

To learn more about Sandy Hook Promise, and to find ways to support the work of this important organization, visit SandyHookPromise.org.