The second largest sporting goods retailer in the U.S. is taking a stand against mass shootings.
Athletic gear giant Dick's Sporting Goods announced Wednesday morning it will stop selling the type of guns and ammo that have been used in recent mass shootings. It will also raise the minimum age at which one can buy a gun at all locations from 18 to 21.
The announcement comes two weeks on the heels of the Feb. 14 mass shooting that killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Ed Stack, Chairman and CEO of Dick's Sporting Goods, told CNN's Chris Cuomo the company made the decision to self-regulate as a way to help prevent future shootings.
"We were so disturbed and saddened by what happened at Parkland and decided we needed to do something," he said.
By banning assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines and raising the minimum age at which one can buy any gun there to 21, the company hopes to make a statement.
"Our hearts went out to those kids and their parents," Stack said. "Everybody talks about thoughts and prayers going out to them, and that's great. But that doesn't really do anything. We felt that we needed to take a stand and do this."
He said he does expect to see some backlash from the pro-gun rights community, but that company staff all agreed that it was important to take a stand.
"We had meaningful conversations about this with our team, and we concluded that if these kids are brave enough to organize and do what they're doing, then we should be brave enough to take this stand, and that's what we've done," he said.
Stack was, of course, referring to the Parkland students, as well as those from other schools, who have protested unfettered access to such guns in the wake of the shooting.
"When we look at those kids and their parents and the grief they're going through, we don't want to be a part of this story anymore," he said.
In November of last year, Stack said, Parkland shooter Nikolaus Cruz purchased a shotgun from a Dick's location. Stack said he and other company leaders found it disturbing that the 19-year-old was able to buy any gun there, even if it wasn't the weapon Cruz had used to commit mass murder on Valentine's Day. The weapon was similar to the weapons employed in mass shootings in Las Vegas, Orlando, Newtown and Aurora in recent years.
There are currently nine Dick's Sporting Goods locations in the Tampa Bay area, from Bradenton to Spring Hill.
In a state like Florida, where GOP-dominated, NRA-abiding leadership has fostered an environment of unfettered gun access, a retailer's decision to sacrifice its own profits from gun sales is unheard-of.
Yethe chain's decision to limit access to certain firearms and ammunition is the latest case of a corporation using its power to oppose the National Rifle Association. Companies like Delta and American Airlines have cut discounts for NRA members in the wake of the latest mass shooting.
And just like those companies, Stack said he expects a backlash. Even so, he said, if the policy change helps stop the killing, it will be worth it.
"Whatever happens, we think this is the right move," he said.
This article appears in Feb 22 – Mar 1, 2018.
