I already wrote and called them to inform them I, and my family, will no longer be purchasing any products from them or visiting their stores, as a direct result of this policy move. Do they care? Nope. Made me feel better, though. Never even looked at a firearm or hunting stuff their - I bought some summer clothes, socks, cleats for the kids, footballs, bats, etc. The closest one is an hour away, in the big city but they have a good selection and decent prices. I can, and will, afford to shop elsewhere. Academy sports has much better shooting sports selection and all the same gear anyway. It’s just a little further. I occasionally buy a box of ammo there but restrict most of my shooting sports business to independent shops and not box stores.
Do they have the right to set this new policy? Of course! And I’ll defend they’re right to do so. Given the setup of the stores (what they carry and display/advertise prominently) it’s obvious that their core customer isn’t the hunting/fishing community - it’s soccer, golf, baseball, etc. Frankly, there are loads of anti-gun folks that enjoy the other sports that are Dick’s caters to. So, it’s no surprise to me that they made this decision and it’s probably a smart one for them financially. At the same time, it’s MY right to support the businesses of my choosing; and I choose those that don’t take up an anti-gun position. And I do think this policy change is anti-gun. So I won’t shop their stores. I’ll leave it to the snowflakes. Even if they changed their policy back, I won’t return. I have no need for a store who’s values bend whichever way the wind blows. Honestly, I’d be fine with seeing a reduction in box store gun sales and a return to the independent gun shops like the ones of yesteryear and that I use. You might pay a few bucks extra but it’s well worth it to buy from a place that really KNOWS firearms and their uses. No offense meant but their are a disproportionate number of completely UN-knowledgeable people working the gun counters (and archery counters) at most box stores. Stores where the guy behind the counter is a passionate shooter, and possibly hunter, are (imo) much better and will usually support a person throughout their journey from a beginning shooter to a advanced shooter; and, if they’re lucky, into reloading.
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