Dick's Sporting Goods selling assault rifles again via new store chain A national sporting goods company that suspended sales of assault rifles after the Newtown, Conn., shooting that cost 26 lives is now selling the type of gun the shooter used via a new and separate chain of specialty stores. Dicks’ Sporting Goods issued a statement after the Dec. 14, 2012 shooting, in which Adam Lanza killed 20 students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School with a Bushmaster assault rifle, that it would suspend the sales of assault rifles. “We are extremely saddened by the unspeakable tragedy that occurred last week,” said the statement, “and our hearts go out to victims and their families and to the entire community. Out of respect for the victims and their families, during this time of national mourning we have removed all guns from sale and from display in our store nearest to Newtown and suspended the sale of modern sporting rifles in all of our stores chainwide.” Gun control activists praised the chain’s decision at the time. But this weekend Dick’s opened the first store in a new chain called Field & Stream that specializes in hunting and fishing products, and a call to the store in Cranberry Township, Penn., reveals that Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifles are for sale. “We have a full stock,” said a clerk who identified himself as Gary. He said the guns retailed for $800, and that the gun counter was “really busy.” Lanza used a .22 rifle to kill his mother at their home, a Bushmaster to shoot the students and staff members at Sandy Hook, and a handgun to commit suicide inside the school after the shooting spree. Two handguns and the Bushmaster were found with his body, and a shotgun was found in the car he had driven to Sandy Hook. Lanza fired more than 150 shots in less than five minutes from the Bushmaster inside the school. Dick’s Sporting Goods did not respond to requests for comment. When the company suspended sales of the AR-15 in December 2012, it had just offered an AR-15 to customers at a discount as a Thanksgiving holiday special. The company canceled its sales of the guns and offered customers who had ordered them a $100 gift certificate. Dick’s Sporting Goods, based in suburban Pittsburgh, has more than 500 stores nationwide, most of them east of the Mississippi. The company has plans for second and third outlets of its Field & Stream specialty stores in Kentucky and Pennsylvania. After licensing the Field & Stream trademark since 2007, the company bought full rights to the name on August 1, 2012 for $24.5 million. A skunk, by any other name still smells like a skunk...... .....
The reality of revenue is slowly coming back to the fore. Now, when the prices go back to reasonable, we can declare the end of the panic buying.
I agree. i wouldn't buy a gun, any gun from this company. Nope! I think Pop's Gun store that stood by the Constitution will continue to receive my business. Knee jerk reaction and now Dick's has changed their tune. Hypocrites!
I stopped paying any attention to what Dick's might do when they suspended the sales...thanks for the info on "another store" to avoid.
But the Sandy Hook shooter(s) didn't use an AR-15 for shooting... Why is this still being reported this way? NBC Admitted: No 'Assault Rifle' Used in Newtown Shooting | Independent Journal Review
Because you'll get much better publicity by saying that the "evil assault rifle" was used, even though it wasn't. Also, so many people heard it once and now it's ingrained in their head that the guy used an AR and nothing can change their mind. Back on topic, I've only been in a Dicks store once, noticed the prices and walked out. Never have spent a dime with them and probably never will.
for the love of .... It's not an assault rifle. It's a semi automatic rifle. Assault rifle denotes select fire (burst or full auto). Now if i could get me one of those legally w/o the class 3/NFA paper work, I'd buy it from anyone EXCEPT dicks. They lost my business right along with Cheaper than Dirt.
A few years ago I bought my Henry .22 Survival Rifle at Dick's. The staff must have decided to play with it and they stripped the receiver takedown bolt. Not to mention all the paperwork and hassles, and on top of this, they had to physically walk the rifle out themselves with me in tow like I was some kind of criminal - "It's just store policy," they said. From that day on, I decided to shop elsewhere.
Some Bass Pros shops do that as well. When I got my sons Savage Rascal they didn't though. Just taped up the box and said stop by customer service and they'll remove the trigger lock on the gun.
You know, a surplus Mosin-Nagant CAN be used as a club. Plus if you go with the accessory pkg, you get a wicked evil cruciform bayonet
Ditto here. They caved so fast it was as if they were looking for an excuse. Then they find out that yuppies buying running shoes will not support their business and open a separate branch to separate the pro and anti gun segments of their customer base. None of their offshoot divisions deserves a penny of any gun owners' business. They need to be forced into bankruptcy by organized boycott for deserting their original customer base of hunters and sport shooters.