The Business of Guns

and hunters, and we will continue to do so in a responsible way.” Even with limitations in place, the universality of Walmart (the average American lives within just four miles of any given store) means that guns are never far away. Dick’s Sporting Goods has a more limited reach than Walmart, but with 850 stores and a presence on the Fortune 500 listing, it is the next-largest big-box store that sells firearms and ammunition. Dick’s, like Walmart, has been under pressure in recent years to limit its gun sales, primarily as a result of mass shootings. The 2018 Parkland, Florida, mass shooting left 17 people dead, and the shooter, Nikolas Cruz, had purchased a weapon (although not the weapon used in the attack) at Dick’s. In response, Dick’s chief executive officer, Edward W. Stack, announced in October 2019 that the store had destroyed over $5 million worth of military-style weapons and was reviewing whether to continue selling guns. A 2019 test of the removal of guns from ten stores saw overall sales rise, leading to further removal from some 125 stores, replacing firearms with other merchandise , like ski gear. Dick’s business decision, the company said, was partially a reflection of public opinion but also influenced by the low margin the company enjoys on gun sales and the declining customer base. Dick’s, like Walmart, had previously removed AR-15 semiautomatic rifles and does not sell to customers below the age of 21. While the company sells handgun ammunition, it does not sell handguns themselves. Dick’s CEO, Edward Stack, famously broke a longstanding corporate tie with the National Rifle Association in 2018, advocating that politicians pass gun control reform laws to ban assault weapons, bump stocks , and high-capacity magazines. “We support and respect the Second Amendment,” Stack wrote in a corporate announcement “but we have to solve the problem that’s in front of us.”

Chapter 2: Retailers

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