Photo courtesy of CNN.
Summary: One of the nation’s largest sports retailers said it will not sell assault-style rifles.
Two weeks after the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Dick’s Sporting Goods announced that it will end its selling of assault-style rifles in its stores.
The nation’s largest sports retailer made the announcement on Wednesday, according to the New York Times. In addition to banning the sale of assault-style rifles, they will also discontinue selling high-capacity magazines and only sell to buyers 21 and older, regardless of local regulations.
Dick’s new policy arrives shortly after the February 14 tragedy in Parkland, where 17 students and staff members were murdered by an expelled former classmate, Nikolas Cruz. The tragedy sparked an intense gun debate led by survivors of the ordeal who are fighting against the National Rifle Association and politicians who accept their money and refuse to enact tighter gun control laws.
According to the New York Times, “The announcement… is one of the strongest stances taken by corporate America in the national gun debate. It also carries symbolic weight, coming from a prominent national gun seller.”
After the Parkland shooting, corporations that worked with the NRA were heavily criticized by the public, and this resulted in companies such as Hertz and Delta Air Lines announcing that they were finally cutting ties.
The New York Times said that the majority of criticized companies issued carefully worded statements to avoid being involved further in the national gun debate, but Dick’s deliberately took a stand and bluntly said their decision was a reaction to what happened in Florida.
“When we saw what happened in Parkland, we were so disturbed and upset,” Dick’s CEO Edward Stack said to the New York Times. “We love these kids and their rallying cry, ‘enough is enough.’ It got to us.”
Stack also said that he hopes politicians will join the conversation about gun control, and he said that he hopes “common sense gun reform” will finally be passed. This includes raising the minimum age to purchase guns and to ban assault-style weapons and bump stocks.
According to the Times, it is unclear what Dick’s decision will do to its bottom line as it and its direct competitor, Cabela’s, does not release gun sales information.
Stack said that he expects mixed reactions to his company decision but that he had to take a stand.
“The whole hunting business is an important part of our business, and we know there is going to be backlash on this, but we’re willing to accept that,” Stack said. “If the kids in Parkland are being brave enough to stand up and do this, we can be brave enough to stand up with them.”
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