Dick's Sporting Goods will no longer sell assault weapons
Parkland, Fla., shooting accused bought a weapon at Dick's, but chain will change its policy
Dick's Sporting Goods says it will no longer sell assault weapons in any of its stores, or sell any type of firearm to anyone under 21.
The sporting goods chain made the announcement on Good Morning America on Wednesday, with CEO Edward Stack son of the chain's founder, DickStack sayingthe company felt compelled to act.
"As we looked at what happened down in Parkland, we were so disturbed and saddened," Stack told the program, "we felt we really needed to do something[so] we've decided not to sell these assaultweapons any longer in any of our stores."
It's not immediately clear how big an impact the move will have on the sale of such weapons, since firearms sales are fragmented across numerous chains, online stores and gun shows.
The world's largest retailer, Walmart, stoppedselling AR-15 rifles and other semi-automatic weapons in 2015, citing weak sales. On Wednesday evening,Walmart said it will no longer sell firearms and ammunition to people younger than 21, and is also removingitems resembling assault-style rifles from its website.
With 675 stores across the country, Pittsburgh-based Dick's is a major player in the sports and leisure industry, butJosephFeldman, a senior managing director at theTelseyAdvisory Group, estimates that it's unlikely that assault-style rifles covered under the new policy makeup a large part of their business, which took in almost $8 billion US in revenue last year.
He reckons that theentire hunting category which would includeall kinds of firearms, other weaponsand hunting accoutrements makes up less than 10 per cent of their entirerevenue.
"The longer-term positive perception that they create a more welcoming environment will offset any lost sales in the year,"Feldmansaid.
Stack said that after the attack, the company checked its sales records and discovered that Cruz bought a shotgunfrom Dick's last November, but it was not the weapon used in the Parkland shooting.
While all existing rules were followed in that sale, Stack said he wanted to ensure the chain wouldn't be associated with any future massacres, so itchanged itspolicy.
"It moved us all unimaginably," Stack said of the shooting, specifically the victims and the actions of survivors in the aftermath. "We don't want to be a part of this story."
The chain implemented a similar policy after the2012 Sandy Hook school attack in Newtown, Conn., where anAR-15 semi-automatic rifle was also used. Thatban wastemporary and the chain soon started selling the guns again at its hunting-specific chain, Field & Stream.
This time, the changeswill be permanent, Stack said. He added the companyis prepared for any potential backlash, but will not change its new policy on assault-style weapons"ever."
The company will also refuse to sellso-called bump stocks devices that can be attached to weapons to give them the firing capacity of automatic weapons.
Dick's will also stop selling guns of any kindto anyone under 21 years old, along with high-capacity magazines to anyone.
The company also urged lawmakers to follow up with what it calls "common sense gun reform" and pass legislation to make the moves Dick's made on Wednesday mandatory for all companies that sell firearms.
With files from The Associated Press
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