Sunday, January 13, 2013

Dick's Sporting Goods Bans Bushmasters?

I made a trip to the local Dick’s Sporting Goods store last night in order to pick up some .223 ammunition.  I had difficulty in finding the ammo until I realized it was behind the unmanned firearms counter, almost like they were embarrassed to admit they still stocked such a thing.  It wasn’t until I spoke with a department clerk that my suspicions were confirmed.

As the clerk handed me the boxes of ammunition, I asked him about the lack of .223 rifles and if they’d simply sold them all.  He replied that they’d all been sent back to the manufacturers; when I’d suggested that they were over-reacting to the Newtown shooting, he nonchalantly said, “It seemed like the right thing to do.”

After considering what he’d just told me, I decided to seek out one of the managers on duty and inquire about the decision to remove AR-15 type of rifles from their sales floor and inventory.

The manager explained that the decision was a corporate one and affected all stores in the chain.  When I asked him if it was a reaction to the Newtown shooting, he denied it and stated that they’d only carried the Bushmaster rifles for 6 months prior to removing them from the inventory.  He said that the idea was to return to being a “hunting and sporting goods store.”

I explained to him that I felt like Dick’s Sporting Goods had taken a choice away from me; I don’t hunt but because of where I live, self-defense is an important consideration to me.  I shouldn’t be limited by Dick’s or New York State in my self-defense options.  The manager did apologize to me but I know it wasn’t his fault.

This isn’t the first time Dick’s has made a decision to remove items from their inventory; after a local shooting they decided to remove handguns from their sales floor for, as the associate told me at the time, “reasons of liability.”

So if some crazed person decides to knife a bunch of people with a Bear Grylls knife purchased at Dick’s, will the corporate types decide to remove them from the chain’s inventory?  At which point will Dick’s decide to stop selling firearms to avoid controversy or “reasons of liability?”

As a legal gun owner, I shouldn’t be made to feel like an awkward teen attempting to buy prophylactics before a Saturday night date with his girl.

Dick’s Sporting Goods has failed me, leaving me no choice but to seek out another retailer with the courage to sell firearms and ammunition.

No comments:

Post a Comment