Dick’s Sporting Goods Is Destroying All Its Unsold Assault Rifles
They’re definitely making a statement.
After the mass shooting that killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida, Dick’s Sporting Goods made a powerful statement: No one would ever buy an assault rifle at one of the chain’s stores again.
In case anyone doubted the sincerity behind this move, the New York Times reports Dick’s is ensuring no one will ever use one of its remaining guns again. They’re scrapping their unsold inventory.
Dick’s pulled the firearms off their shelves almost immediately. Just as quickly, the company was heavily criticized for the move by the NRA and second amendment supporters nationwide.
The company was obviously undeterred.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was on top of this story last week. A spokesperson for the company told the paper that they were “in the process of destroying all firearms and accessories that are no longer for sale as a result of our February 28th policy change. We are destroying the firearms in accordance with federal guidelines and regulations.”
Social media reaction to the move was mixed.
D*ck move? Dick's Sporting Goods is destroying its remaining inventory of modern sporting rifles pic.twitter.com/261eifhgoJ
— Rated Red (@realratedred) April 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/Jay_Bay_Area/status/986970753248579585
.@DICKS decision isn’t focusing on the actual problem, what it is doing is punishing law-abiding citizens. What a waste, and what a strange business model. #DefendTheSecond #2A #NRA https://t.co/mUNmV6O1ot
— NRA (@NRA) April 17, 2018
Switching to Dick's for everything sporting goods. History will look kindly upon your leadership
— Wise Takes 🕑 (@ianwilrel8) April 15, 2018
Great model for reducing guns. We need a robust Cash for Guns program, use the metal for recycling. Dick’s Sporting Goods Will Destroy the Assault-Style Weapons It Didn’t Sell https://t.co/9QOwbFZdXl
— Jonathan Kirsch, MD (@j_kirsch) April 19, 2018
Dick’s will scrap the rifles for parts and they’ll be recycled.
Assault rifles and guns in general will remain a point of contention for years to come. It will be interesting to see if more stores follow Dick’s lead or double down to grab new business from disgruntled customers.
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