2A/BUSINESS/GUNS/NRA: “Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. said it would stop selling assault-style rifles at all of its stores and would no longer sell guns to those under 21 years of age, in the latest corporate response after a gunman killed 17 people at a Parkland, Fla., high school two weeks ago.
The Pittsburgh-based company, which operates about 800 stores, had previously ended the sales of assault-style rifles, also known as modern sporting rifles, following the deadly elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., at Dick’s stores, but it still sold them at its Field & Stream chain, which has 35 locations. Dick’s said it will also advocate for more stringent gun laws.
Under current laws, licensed gun dealers cannot sell a handgun to a person younger than 21 but can sell a rifle to anyone 18 or older. President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott have expressed support for raising the age limit for rifle sales, but the National Rifle Association has rejected any such move as a violation of the Second Amendment…
The retailer also disclosed it had sold a shotgun to the accused Parkland killer, Nikolas Cruz, in November 2017. That gun wasn’t used in the shooting. The gunman used an AR-15 model rifle, which is a semiautomatic rifle that allows the user to fire rapidly and use high-capacity magazines.
In an open letter, Dick’s said it wanted politicians to enact into law many of the policies proposed Wednesday [2-28-18], including the assault-style rifle ban, raising the minimum gun purchase age to 21 and banning high capacity magazines.”
-Austen Hufford, “Dick’s Sporting Goods Stops Selling Assault-Style Weapons, Raises Age for Gun Buyers,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 28, 2018 09:15am