Assault-Style Weapons Won't Be Sold At Dick's Sporting Goods

LYNDHURST, OH — Dick's Sporting Goods announced this week it will no longer sell assault-style weapons. The company will also stop selling guns to anyone under the age of 21. Dick's is the largest sporting goods retailer in the U.S.

"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. 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," said Dick's CEO Edward Stack.

Dick's legally sold a shotgun to Nick Cruz, the accused Parkland shooter. That was not the weapon used in the Valentine's Day killing of 17 people at a Florida high school, but Stack said, "it could have been."

"Clearly this indicates on so many levels that the systems in place are not effective to protect our kids and our citizens," Stack said.

The company said it plans to:

• No longer sell assault-style rifles, also called modern sporting rifles. The company had already removed that style of gun from all of its stores after the Sandy Hook massacre, but the modern sporting rifles will also be removed from sale at all 35 Field & Stream stores.
• Stop selling guns to anyone under the age of 21.
• The company will also stop selling high capacity magazines.

"We never have and never will sell bump stocks that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire more rapidly," the company said.

The decision to halt the sale of assault-style weapons came in the wake of the Parkland, Florida shooting and subsequent protests throughout the nation. Dick's specifically said that it has heard the students that have organized in the wake of the Valentine's Day killing of 17 people.

The company went on to implore elected officials to:

• Ban assault-style firearms
• Raise the minimum age to purchase firearms to 21
• Ban high capacity magazines and bump stocks
• Require universal background checks that include relevant mental health information and previous interactions with the law
• Ensure a complete universal database of those banned from buying firearms
• Close the private sale and gun show loophole that waives the necessity of background checks

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

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images