Giant Sporting Goods Retailer This Morning Saying It Will Stop Selling Assault-Style Rifles
With Congress Floundering On Gun Control, Private Companies Continue To Lead The Way, Riding A Surprising Wave Of Momentum
Dick’s Sporting Goods in making the announcement today saying simply: “We don’t want to be part of a mass shooting.” The store will stop selling assault style rifles altogether, and any gun to anyone under the age of 21.
The CEO and the son of the chain’s founder, Edward Stack, attributed his decision directly to the efforts of the Parkland students in Florida. “We love these kids and their rallying cry ‘enough is enough.’ It got to us”, he told the New York Times.
Here’s a video clip of Stack’s appearance this morning on ABC’s Good Morning America:
The Times points out Dick’s made a similar move after Sandy Hook, but then started carrying those types of guns again a few months later. This time, the CEO says, the move is permanent.
The company, headquartered just outside of Pittsburgh, is the 2nd or 3rd largest sporting goods retailer in the country, after Bass Pro Shops bought Cabela’s late last year. Walmart is number one. The Times also points out Walmart quietly stopped selling high power rifles in its stores about a year and a half ago. But Walmart said it was purely a business decision, due to a drop in consumer demand, and had nothing to do with pressure from gun control advocates.
