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

CUMMING, 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 Cumming store and three stores in Gwinnett County.

Dick's also no long will sell firearms to anyone under the age of 21 and is stopping 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."

Here are the Cumming-area Dick's locations:

• Cumming Town Center, 2145 Market Pl Blvd, Cumming
• Mall of Georgia, 3333 Buford Dr, Buford
• North Logan Commons, 4040 Atlanta Hwy, Loganville
• 6050 Peachtree Pkwy #450, Norcross

Since the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting by alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz, 19, a new School Safety Task Force will conduct a comprehensive safety assessment of all Forsyth County school campuses. Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Bearden and Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman announced the move on Tuesday.

They are commissioning the task force with an objective of completing a comprehensive safety assessment of all Forsyth County school campuses and review of possible security improvements. The task force will be led by Major Joe Perkins of the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office and include additional FCSO deputies, staff from Forsyth County Schools as well as representatives from the Forsyth County Fire Department and Forsyth County Emergency Management Agency.

The formation of the task force comes after a 15-year-old was arrested Thursday and a 16-year-old on Wednesday, both for making threats against their schools. Police said they interviewed a student who made a false statement Friday as rumors of a gun at North Forsyth High School Friday circulated.

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