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It seems like the debate over gun control has reached a fever pitch in recent years, but it also feels like not much has been accomplished. You can point the finger in any direction you want to, but it’s a combination of many factors: politicians, big business, the NRA, shareholders, etc.
And as mass shootings continue to plague our country, Americans from all backgrounds grow more and more frustrated at the lack of action on gun legislation.
One CEO of a major company has decided to take a major step to prove that he and his company value human life over profits. Even though it cost his business an estimated $250 million, Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO Ed Stack permanently removed all assault-style rifles from 729 stores in 47 states in the U.S. in February 2018 after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
In addition to that bold move, Ed Stack also recently announced that his company actually destroyed $5 million worth of assault weapons last year after it stopped selling them in stores.
Stack said he had the option to send the weapons back to the manufacturer for an 80%-85% refund or Dick’s could have tried to liquidate their inventory quickly through discounts. Stack recalled, “We’re in this meeting and I said, ‘We can’t do that.’ We think these guns should be outlawed. We think that the ban that was in place between 1994 and 2004 should be reinstated.”
Stack said he knew the weapons would end up out on the street if he chose either of those options, so they decided to destroy all the guns. Many people praised Stack’s decision but of course there was blowback from firearms manufacturers and NRA supporters.
Bravo, Mr. Stack. Let’s see if other CEOs and politicians will follow his lead.
