Kevin Barrett 
The major retailer Walmart stated on Wednesday that—going forward—it would not sell guns or ammunition to anyone under the age of 21.
This happened mere hours after the retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods revealed a similar policy regarding the sale of firearms. That policy was made due to the shooting that occurred in a Florida high school a couple of weeks ago.
In an official statement, Walmart stated that it will continue to adhere to a policy that has been in place since 2015; the policy purportedly bans the sale of “modern sporting rifles”—such as the AR-15—which was the semi-automatic weapon used in the Florida high school shooting.
According to Walmart, the retailer will also be removing items from their website that only resemble assault-style weapons. This includes “non-lethal” toys and airsoft guns.
Walmart has stated that its heritage as a company has always been to serve hunters and sportsmen, and the company intends to continue doing so in a “responsible way”.
In an open letter, Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO Edward Stack said that it was time for the United States to do more in order to end violence.
Stack said that his company’s thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the shooting as well as their loved ones, but also said that thoughts and prayers are not enough.
When addressing the matter, Stack acknowledged the massacre that resulted in 17 deaths and multiple injuries; he also credited the student protesters calling for gun reform due to the tragic event. As he put it: “We heard you”.
He also said: “The nation heard you”.
The gunman in the Florida high school shooting actually bought a weapon at Dick’s; however, it was not the AR-15 used in the shooting. Stack said that the gunman should not have been able to purchase any weapons at all.
Stack admitted that Dick’s sold a firearm to the shooter in November of 2017—also making it clear that all rules and laws were followed. He said it wasn’t the gun used in the shooting, nor the type of gun used in the shooting.
Stark said everything was done “by the book”.
According to Stark, that indicates on many levels that the various systems currently in place are not effective in regard to protecting children and citizens.
He said he believes that it is time to “do something about it”.
As a result, Dick’s made the decision to stop selling “assault-style rifles”, which are also referred to as “modern sporting rifles”.
Such guns had actually been removed from Dick’s already as a result of the Sandy Hook incident, but they are being removed from Field & Stream stores. Field & Stream is a subsidiary of Dick’s.
Now, firearms will not be sold to people under 21 years of age at Dick’s. Also, the chain will no longer sell high-capacity magazines, and it is calling upon Congress to completely ban assault rifles.
Stack believes that the systems currently in place won’t actually stop the sale of firearms to people who may be dangerous, adding that lawmakers must intervene and do something. He implored them to do so.
Stark said that he hopes others will join Dick’s efforts—in order to let children know that their pleas are indeed being taken seriously.
As he put it, his company’s measures can’t necessarily guarantee that tragedies—like the one that occurred in Florida very recently—will not happen again. As he put it, however, it is worth it if just one life is saved because of common sense reform.
Stack added that the United States’ most precious gift is the country’s children, and they are the future of the country.
At the end of his statement, Stack said that we “must keep them safe”.
The accused gunman in the Florida shooting, Nikolas Cruz, was arrested by police and SWAT teams about two hours after the tragic shooting occurred. Nikolas is 19 years old. When he went on his killing spree, Nikolas apparently had what has been called “countless” magazines for his weapon.
H/T – Source
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