Dick's Sporting Goods Suspends Rifle Sales

Amidst the political fallout surrounding the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, one chain of sporting goods stores is suspending sale of certain types of rifles. Dick’s Sporting Goods, which has branches all over the United States, told the media that it has removed all weapons from the shelves of stores near Newtown, and that it would be removing certain specified weapons from shelves across the country. “We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by this terrible tragedy,” the chain told the press.

The chain has removed all weapons categorized as “modern sporting rifles.” Adam Lanza attempted to purchase a rifle from Dick’s Sporting Goods just a few days before the shooting. He wanted to take the rifle with him, and was refused in accordance with state law. “Based on our records,” the store said in a statement, “we can confirm that no firearms were sold to the suspect identified in this case.”

This decision by Dick’s Sporting Goods follows on the heels of an attempt by California legislators to divest all pension funds from companies associated with gun manufacturers.