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After ditching gun sales, Dick’s removes hunting gear from its stores

The sporting goods giant continues to distance itself from an industry on the decline

Danielle McLean Twitter
CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 28: A sign hangs outside of a Dick's Sporting Goods store on February 28, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 28: A sign hangs outside of a Dick's Sporting Goods store on February 28, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Dick’s Sporting Goods already has removed guns and ammunition from its stores, but now the retail giant is taking its split from the industry to another level and removing hunting gear from at least 10 of its stores.

Days after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people, Dick’s Sporting Goods stopped selling assault-style weapons and high capacity magazines in their stores and raised the age to buy a gun to 21 years old.

Dick’s was among many companies that cut ties with the National Rifle Association and the gun and ammunition business following a national public pressure campaign that launched after ThinkProgress published a list of about two-dozen companies offering incentives or discounts to NRA members.

“When we saw what happened in Parkland, we were so disturbed and upset,” the company’s CEO Ed Stack told The New York Times at the time. “We love these kids and their rallying cry, ‘enough is enough.’ It got to us. We’re going to take a stand and step up and tell people our view and, hopefully, bring people along into the conversation.”

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Almost two months later, Dick’s doubled down and announced they would destroy their existing inventory of guns and ammunition prompting the NRA to Tweet a link to a Bearing Arms magazine article that stated: “Dick’s Sporting Goods’ decision isn’t focusing on the actual problem. It’s almost like it wants to go out of business.”

Business was good for Dick’s following the announcement: first-quarter income grew by three percent, sales grew by five percent, and the company’s stock rose by 27 percent. Business has since slowed: consolidated same-store sales were down 3.9 percent in the third quarter, according to USA Today.
But Dick’s considers the entire gun industry on the decline — as evidenced by a slumping number of FBI background checks for gun purchases this Black Friday.
Now the company has removed nearly all of its hunting gear from 10 of its locations, company executives told investors on an earnings call Wednesday. That move could be replicated at other stores as well, according to USA Today.