(NEWS CENTER Maine) - DICK'S Sporting Goods CEO Ed Stack announced on Wednesday morning that the company would stop selling what it calls "assault-style" rifles in response to the devastating school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The move was praised by gun control proponents, while opponents called for a ban of the chain store in response.
"Thoughts and prayers are not enough," the CEO's statement reads. The statement says DICK'S management has heard the call of young people to put an end to gun violence, and as a result, the store will "no longer sell assault-style rifles, also referred to as modern sporting rifles."
DICK'S also pledged to only sell firearms to people 21 and over, and to no longer sell high-capacity magazines.
This isn't the first time DICK'S has made such a promise.
In 2012, after a horrific school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut ended in 20 children dead, the company announced it wold no longer sell assault-style rifles.
The company released the following statement in 2012:
We are extremely saddened by the unspeakable tragedy that occurred last week in Newtown, CT, and our hearts go out to the 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. We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by this terrible tragedy.
All rifles the chain considered "assault-style" were removed from stores.
Just over six months later, DICK'S Sporting Goods opened a new chain store: Field & Stream.
Field & Stream did sell these type of rifles. Now, after the announcement in 2018, all similar rifles will be removed from Field & Stream stores as well.
The closest Field & Stream store to Maine is in Latham, New York. There are four DICK'S Sporting Goods stores in Maine: Topsham, Augusta, South Portland, and Bangor.
NEWS CENTER Maine contacted the store in South Portland for a comment, but the manager would not come to the phone to take our call and instead instructed us to an email for the national press office via another employee.
