“When we saw what happened in Parkland, we were so disturbed and upset,†Mr. Stack said in an interview Tuesday evening. “We love these kids and their rallying cry, ‘enough is enough.’ It got to us.â€
He added, “We’re going to take a stand and step up and tell people our view and, hopefully, bring people along into the conversation.â€
Mr. Stack said he hoped that conversation would include politicians. As part of its stance, Dick’s is calling on elected officials to enact what it called “common sense gun reform’’ by passing laws to raise the minimum age to purchase guns to 21, to ban assault-type weapons and so-called bump stocks, and to conduct broader universal background checks that include mental-health information and previous interactions with law enforcement.
Mr. Stack said the retailer began scouring its purchase records shortly after the identity of the suspected Parkland shooter, Nikolas Cruz, became known. The company soon discovered it had legally sold a gun to Mr. Cruz in November, though it was not the gun or type of gun used in the school shooting.
At the same time, we implore our elected officials to enact common sense gun reform and pass the following regulations: https://t.co/J4OcB6XJnu pic.twitter.com/VUuFKkyk6c
— DICK'S Sporting Goods (@DICKS) February 28, 2018
"an immediate step we're taking is to engage the limited number of clients we have that manufacture assault weapons for non-military use to understand what they can contribute to this shared responsibility," the statement reads. (snip)
Since Thursday, a wave of companies -- including United and Delta airlines, Metlife and six car rental brands -- have abandoned the National Rifle Association. They've pulled discount deals they used to offer to NRA members, and one local bank in Omaha pledged to stop issuing an NRA-branded Visa card.
None of those companies gave specific reasons for parting ways with the NRA, but their announcements came as the hashtag #BoycottNRA flooded social media.
And BlackRock, a giant investment firm that holds significant stakes in several major gun companies, said on Thursday that it plans to speak with major players in the gun industry to "understand their response to recent events."