Dick’s Sporting Goods, a major sporting goods retail chain, will stop selling AR-platform rifles, and require a minimum age of 21 years to purchase ANY and all firearms, not just handguns. In addition, the company will stop selling “high-capacity magazines”. The Chairman/CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Edward W. Stack, announced these new policies yesterday (2/27/2018), while appearing on the Good Morning America TV show. Stack said the ban would begin immediately, with ARs and other mag-fed semi-automatic rifles being removed from all Dick’s stores (and deleted from the company’s website).

The action was prompted by the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Stack stated: “As we looked at what happened in Parkland, we were so disturbed and saddened by what happened we felt we really needed to do something. When that happened we realized … we did everything by the book. We did everything that the law required, and he was still able to buy a gun. And when we looked at that, we said the systems that are in place across the board just aren’t effective enough to keep us from selling someone a gun like that.” Notably, Stack revealed that Nikolas Cruz, the Florida school shooter, had purchased a shotgun from Dick’s last year (however, that shotgun was NOT used in the shooting).

Dick’s Sporting Goods will no longer sell AR-platform rifles and other similar, semi-auto, mag-fed rifles. It is unclear if other, more traditional semi-auto centerfire rifles will still be sold.

Stack also urged elected officials to enact “common sense gun reform” by banning “assault-style” firearms (his terminology, not ours); raising the minimum age to purchase all firearms to 21; banning high-capacity magazines; banning bump stocks; and requiring more complete universal background checks that include relevant mental health information and previous interactions with law enforcement. Stack also hopes that a universal database of those banned from buying firearms is created, and that private sales without background checks are disallowed. (Source: IndyStar.com)

Previously, in late 2012, Dick’s removed semi-auto AR/AK-type rifles from its main retail stores in response to the school shooting at Sandy Hook. However, after a few months, sales of ARs and similar rifles resumed at Field & Stream stores operated by Dick’s.

There will be no going back this time, Stack said, emphasizing that the policy changes will be permanent. In an open letter, Stack announced: “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.”

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