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

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. Dick’s also no longer 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, which has local stores in West Nyack, White Plains, Yonkers and Yorktown, has made changes in response to a school massacre. Following the Newtown, Connecticut elementary school shooting 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 shotgun to accused Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz.

"It was not the gun, nor type of gun, he used in the shooting," Stack said. "But it could have been."

In addition to Field & Stream, the chain, which was founded in New York and is now based in Pittsburgh, also owns and and operates Golf Galaxy, True Runner and Chelsea Collective specialty stores. As of October 2017, there were approximately 715 Dick's locations across the country, including the four in the Hudson Valley. Field & Stream has 35 stores across the country, including four in New York.

"In the aftermath of the Parkland tragedy, the American people are calling for action. And while the federal government shamefully does nothing, this state and this country will forge a path forward," said New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in a statement. "I commend Dick's Sporting Goods, a member of the New York family, for their leadership in taking smart measures to keep weapons out of the wrong hands. Founded in Binghamton, this New York-bred company is taking a principled stand and setting an example of responsible corporate leadership for businesses across the nation."

Following the Parkland massacre in which 17 people died, survivors of the shooting have successfully lobbied more than a dozen companies - including Hertz, Delta and United - to sever ties with the National Rifle Association. They also have pushed strongly for stricter gun control regulation.

Dick's called on elected officials to enact what it termed "common sense gun reform" and ban assault-style firearms; raise the minimum age to purchase firearms to 21; ban high-capacity magazines and bump stocks and require universal background checks that include relevant mental health information and previous interactions with the law.

"Some will say these steps can’t guarantee tragedies like Parkland will never happen again. They may be correct," Stack said. "But if common sense reform is enacted and even one life is saved, it will have been worth it. "

Photo: Dick's Sporting Goods opened in the Jefferson Valley Mall in 2016/ James Lange

By Eric Heyl, Patch Staff. Patch Editor Lanning Taliaferro contributed to this report.