This NFL team is joining forces with police unions to support controversial legislation

San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The San Francisco 49ers and law enforcement have been linked in controversy for well over a year — a result of ex-Niner Colin Kaepernick’s high profile protest regarding civil rights.

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The two camps joined together to announce a move supporting gun control legislation. The main goal of the legislation is to ban armor-piercing bullets, silencers and “bump stocks,” which made headlines for changing the Las Vegas shooters weaponry from semi-automatic to automatic.

The Niners have plans to donate $500,000 towards the initiative and part of the donation would go specifically towards nationally publicized PSA’s meant to ease tension between law enforcement and the public.

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As gun control legislation is already a highly contentious topic, Robert Harris, secretary of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, underscored the fact that the movement was not aimed at obstructing Second Amendment rights.

“We are unwavering in our support of the Second Amendment. We also believe that common-sense laws should be put into place to protect law-enforcement officers and the citizens they serve,” Harris said. “If as a country we hope to make any progress, it will take all of us to leave our comfort zones.”

In a statement released by the police union and the NFL team, they explain their position:

The duty of law enforcement must also include actively participating in bringing our nation together and working to foster a more understanding and compassionate national dialogue around community and police officer relations. We believe that professional sports teams should utilize their capacity to reach millions of Americans to promote initiatives that help law enforcement professionals and the citizens they serve understand their respective experiences and to listen to one another with an open mind and heart.

The 49ers and police unions intend to reach out to other NFL teams and police unions to garner support for the initiatives.

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Team CEO Jed York acknowledges criticism for the stance, but he feels the purpose is what matters.

“If we’re going to move forward, we can’t worry about hurt feelings,” he said. “If we take criticism along the way, we are all willing to take criticism if we can make people safer.”

What do you think?

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