Dick's Sporting Goods is testing if it should stop selling guns

[billh58]

Dick's Sporting Goods considered stopping all gun sales in early 2018. A shooting at the high school in Parkland, Florida, had killed 17 people. And the company was shocked into action.

"We did have a conversation about that," CEO Ed Stack told CNN Business earlier this year. "At the time we felt it was a part of our DNA and we should stay in it. So many people in the country are law-abiding citizens who use firearms to hunt, to use from a recreation standpoint. We didn't think it was right to exit the business completely."

-Snip-

Two weeks after the Parkland shooting on February 14, 2018, Dick's decided to drop the sale of assault-style rifles that are frequently used in mass shootings, as well as high-capacity magazines that can allow a person to fire more bullets without taking time to reload. It also raised the age for the sale of any firearm to 21 from 18.

Rather than sell off its inventory of assault rifles to another retailer, Dick's had the weapons destroyed. And it hired lobbyists to work on gun safety and gun control issues. The moves won praise from gun control opponents and anger from gun enthusiasts. The backlash has probably hurt the sale of rifles Dick's continued to sell. As a test, Dick's last fall stopped selling all hunting gear, including guns, in 10 stores. It replaced the guns with other goods, such as apparel of a local sports team and other popular items. The experiment was a success. "Those stores outperformed the balance of the chain pretty meaningfully," Stack said.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/20/business/dicks-sporting-goods-gun-sales/index.html

Public opinion outweighs the NRA's political demands, and the Second Amendment absolutists' claims that gun control is a lost cause. The tide has turned against gun nuts and their handlers, and common sense will prevail.

[MontanaMama]

1. I follow the firearms evolution at Dick's closely.

They lost money when they chose to end assault rifle sales and they moved forward anyway. This will be interesting. Support them if you can. I bought my kiddo's tennis shoes for school from their website...got a great deal, $10 off and free shipping.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I don't get why guns, weapons, ammo, etc. aren't sold

exclusively in shops just for that purpose.

Example: In the state of Virginia, you have to go to an ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) store if you want the "hard stuff" like whiskey, vodka, etc. Beer & wine are in supermarkets. The liquor is regulated and monitored by these restrictions. It's a pain in the ass, but I understand the motivation behind the law.

Guns, etc. can maim and/or kill. Why can't they be regulated and sold by state officials instead of being treated as commercial commodities?

[Mike 03]

3. Excellent point and great examples. nt

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Guns, ammo, and other shooting stuff isn't cheap, so you don't the kinds of repeat sales...

you get with sports bras, swimming stuff, tennis balls, sneakers...

I can't help wondering if some parents taking their kids for new soccer or basketball stuff feel a little shaken passing a rifle display. And the kids, too-- a lot of them are feeling anxious over the school shootings.