Dick's Sporting Goods End Sale Of Assault-Style Weapons

ALPHARETTA, GA — Dick's Sporting Goods, the nation's largest sporting goods retailer, is halting sales of selling assault-style weapons like the one used in the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting. The sporting goods giant has a store at North Point Mall in Alpharetta and a few others in the area.

Dick's also no longer will sell firearms to anyone under the age of 21 and is halting the sale of high capacity magazines, the company said on Wednesday.

"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," Edward Stack, Dick's chairman and CEO said in a statement. "But we have to help solve the problem that's in front of us. Gun violence is an epidemic that's taking the lives of too many people, including the brightest hope for the future of America – our kids."

This isn't the first time Dick's has made changes in response to a school massacre. Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in 2012, Dick's removed assault-style rifles from its main retail stores. But a few months later, the company began carrying the firearms at its outdoor and hunting Field & Stream stores.

Stack acknowledged that Dick's in November legally sold a rifle to accused Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz.
"It was not the gun, nor type of gun, he used in the shooting," he said. "But it could have been."

Dick's locations around the area include:

• North Point Mall, 6440 North Point Parkway, Alpharetta
• Perimeter Pointe, 1155 Mt. Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs
• Peachtree Square, 6050 Peachtree Parkway Suite 450, Norcross
• Cumming Town Center, 2145 Marketplace Blvd., Cumming
• Mall of Georgia at Mill Creek, 3333 Buford Drive, Buford
• Canton Marketplace, 1810 Cumming Highway, Canton

Since the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting by alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz, 19, the Fulton County School System said it was committed to keeping its students safe and it will identify best practices and measures to carry out its end of the bargain.

"As a district, I want us to dig into this issue in a public way, as opposed to allowing this tragedy to simply become another violent moment in our country's history," Superintendent Dr. Jeff Rose said in a statement. "Seemingly, as a nation, we have become desensitized to these types of tragedies. We have emotional days, and perhaps even months after they occur, but slowly we return to our routines.

"Let's make sure we don't do that this time! For school staff and school leaders, these incidents remind us of our responsibility to our students and larger community. Recognizing that these tragedies can happen anywhere, at any time, also has reminded us that we must continue to review and evaluate our district's extensive safety and security plans. It's a responsibility that we share with local law enforcement and public health professionals."

Patch Editor Eric Heyl contributed to this story.
Photo via Scott Olson/ Getty Image