Dick’s Sporting Goods No Longer Selling Assault Rifles

Common sense is starting to kick-in as hundreds of big brand companies, corporations, Hotel chains, former NRA lobbyists, and gun retailers join the fight against assault weapons in urging Congress to action on improving gun control laws. The latest is one of the nation's largest sporting and gun retailers, Dick's Sporting Goods. ABC News reports Chairman and CEO, Edward Stack, announced this morning they are ending sales of all assault-style rifles. Stack said,"We don't want to be a part of a mass shooting." He said they are ready for the backlash, and not concerned about pleasing the NRA, or their supporters.

The Pittsburgh-based company addressed their customers in a open letter, and stated that their decision had nothing to do with the 2nd Amendment. Stack told ABC, "We’re staunch supporters of the 2nd Amendment. I’m a gun owner myself," He continued, "We’ve just decided that based on what’s happened with these guns, we don’t want to be a part of this story and we’ve eliminated these guns permanently."

Stack is also a father, and believes America has a major gun "epidemic that's taking the lives of too many people," including "our kids." So taking a stand for gun control was a no-brainer. By the way, Dick's had already taken a proactive approach in banning assault-style gun sales in their stores. In 201,  the sporting goods giant suspended all sales of assault rifles after the Sandy Hook mass shooting. Looking at the grief of Parkland, Florida parents, Dick's CEO said, "Based on what’s happened and looking at those kids and those parents, it moved us all unimaginably."

Stack's father, Dick, opened the chain 70 years ago. Their popular sporting goods company has come a long way since 1948. Now they have more than 700 stores nationwide. The company also operates other chains like: Gold Galaxy, Field & Stream, True Runner and Chelsea Collective banners. The following four new measures go into effect immediately at every location:

1.) No Assault-style rifles/modern sporting rifles, will be sold at any of their locations. As noted Dick's had already removed them from all their stores after the Sandy Hook shootings. Now they will be removed from all 35 Field & Stream stores.

2.) No Firearms will sold to anyone under the age of 21.

3.) No High capacity magazines will be sold.

4.) Stack vowed, "We never have and never will sell bump stocks that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire more rapidly."

The NRA attacked those businesses who've parted ways with them, to support the assault rifle boycott. The New York Times reports that their threats might be working with Trump and the GOP, but that's about it. The boycott is getting bigger by the minute as thousands of individuals, various companies and celebrities join the survivors and families of Parkland, and other mass shootings like Sandy Hook, and the Las Vegas massacre.

Facebook posts and online petitions from parents in Brooklyn, hiking enthusiasts and bike shops urged consumers and retailers not to support any business that deals with the NRA in any way. Celebs like Alyssa Milano and Denis O’Hare are putting the pressure on Amazon and other streaming sites from airing NRATV, while more are calling on banks and payment processing companies to refuse firearms-related transactions.

Studies show 20 of the deadliest mass shootings in the U.S. occurred between 1966 and 2017. The weapon of choice in 14 of those killings was either a semi-automatic rifle, or AR-15 style rifles.

Dick's Sporting Goods joins a growing list of companies breaking ties with the NRA including Metlife Insurance, Hertz, United and Delta Air Lines, cyber security firm Symantec-Norton, TrueCar, Lockton Affinity Insurance, Best Western and dozens of other companies. Even top GOP donor, Al Hoffman Jr., told Republicans "no more checks" until they support gun control.

I personally think this is wonderful! Shouts out to all of you! You can't please everybody, but I got a feeling God is pleased with your decision. I too, am a gun owner, and believe in our right to bear arms wholeheartedly. However, I don't need a assault/military style rifle to defend myself or my family. No ordinary citizen needs a gun like that. We've all seen the carnage, and horrific tragedies that result from that.

I am perfectly fine with better laws that'll keep weapons like this out of the hands of mentally deranged people with an ax to grind. The only use for assault rifles is to kill a lot of people in a short amount of time, and that's exactly what's happening. ENOUGH!

So thank you! I'm impressed with your courage to take a stand, and do what's right. Sometimes that's not always popular......Matthew 16:26 - What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?