HollyMatkinCoraopolis, PA – The chief executive of Dick’s Sporting Goods announced on Wednesday that the chain will no longer sell “assault-style rifles” or high-capacity magazines, and that it will only sell firearms to customers who are over the age of 21.
The company also encouraged lawmakers to follow suit.
“We at DICK’S Sporting Goods are deeply disturbed and saddened by the tragic events in Parkland,” the company said in a press release, referring to the Valentine’s Day high school massacre that left 17 people dead. “We support and respect the Second Amendment, and we recognize and appreciate that the vast majority of gun owners in this country are responsible, law-abiding citizens. But we have to help solve the problem that’s in front of us.”
In a Wednesday appearance on Good Morning America, CEO Edward Stack acknowledged that the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz purchased a shotgun from a Dick’s store in November of 2017.
The weapon was not used during the school shooting, but prompted the company to act, Stack said.
“We did everything by the book, and we did everything that the law required, and he was still able to buy a gun,” he said.
Effective immediately, the sporting-goods chain ended the sale of any “assault-style rifles, also referred to as modern sporting rifles,” the press release said. These rifles had not been available through any Dick’s outlets since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, but were still being sold at the company’s 35 Field & Stream stores.
Dick’s also announced that firearms would only be sold to customers who were over the age of 21.
“We never have and never will sell bump stocks,” the company noted.
Their guns are also vegan, gluten free, and have no GMOs.
The chain urged legislators to “enact common sense gun reform,” and suggested that the changes being made at Dick’s outlets be adopted universally.
In addition, the company encouraged lawmakers to require background checks that include mental health information and history of interactions with law enforcement contacts, and called for an end to private and gun show sales that do not meet the proposed background check requirements.
Information pertaining to individuals who are banned from purchasing firearms should be maintained in a universal database, the press release said.
“The whole hunting business is an important part of our business, and we know there is going to be backlash on this,” Stack said, according to The Inquirer. “[But] 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.”