Hard Times for Dick's as Second Amendment Supporters Respond to Company’s Anti-Gun Bent

[Elderberry]

NRA-ILA 5/11/2018

We have recently been reporting on the bizarre anti-gun activism of one of the nation’s larger firearm retailers, Dick’s Sporting Goods and its affiliated Field & Stream stores. First, the company announced it would stop selling most centerfire semi-automatic rifles at its stores, carry only limited capacity magazines for semi-automatic guns, and ban firearm sales to certain legally eligible adults. It then took the further step of declaring it would destroy its inventory of the newly-restricted firearms at company expense. And if that weren’t enough, the news also recently broke that the company had hired expensive D.C. lobbyists to push for gun control measures on Capitol Hill. 

Dick’s, in other words, was positioning itself as a rising star in the field of corporate gun control activism, in obvious contradiction of its own financial interests.

Now, however, the pro-gun community is parrying Dick’s gun control thrust with their own countermeasures, while customers appear to be eschewing Dick’s to search for bargains elsewhere.

Last week, the Board of Governors of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industries – voted unanimously to expel Dick’s Sporting Goods from membership in the organization. While the NSSF noted it supports the rights of its members to make individual business decisions, it determined that Dick’s new polices do not “reflect the reality of the vast majority of law-abiding gun owners” and constitute “conduct detrimental to the best interests of the Foundation.” Law-abiding gun owners, the company added, “should not be penalized for the actions of criminals.”

Meanwhile, members of the firearms industry have also begun withdrawing their products from Dick’s and Field & Stream outlets.

First, Illinois-based Springfield Armory – maker of several lines of highly-popular rifles and pistols -- announced early this month that was “severing ties” with the two retailers. In announcing the decision, Springfield Armory stated, “we believe in the rights and principles fought for and secured by American patriots and our founding forefathers, without question.” It concluded, “We will not accept Dick’s Sporting Goods’ continued attempts to deny Second Amendment freedoms to our fellow Americans.”   

More: https://www.nraila.org/articles/20180511/hard-times-for-dicks-as-second-amendment-supporters-respond-to-companys-anti-gun-bent

[Applewood]

Like Penney's, it seems Dick's is hell bent on going out of business.  Fine with me.  What's that saying?  If you lie down with dogs, don't be surprised if you get up with fleas.

[Oceander]

Good

[mountaineer]

Dick's prices aren't very good. I have bought golf gloves there, but only when they're on sale. I'm better off going to Walmart (although I did buy a box of .22LR ammunition at Dick's many, many years ago). Needless to say, there's no reason to shop there now.

[NavyCanDo]

Here in the NW Dicks has never been the place to go for firearms, Hunting rifles is the only type of guns they ever carried, and never any pistols. Even the gun cleaning aisle was limited in products, and as far as ammo shotgun shells only.

[txradioguy]

I hope they can hold onto their feel good self righteousness the closer they get to bankruptcy from this move.

Sturm-Ruger had better take notice and push back against what went down at their shareholders meeting.

[Restored]

"Hard Times for Dick's"

Oh dear.....

[Frank Cannon]

Dick’s, in other words, was positioning itself as a rising star in the field of corporate gun control activism....

To be honest, Dick's was going limp for at least a year. Their stock price has been circling the drain for a while. This gun bullshit was a Hail Mary for relevancy that blew up in their face.