Gun violence in America has become an epidemic. Environments that were once family-friendly are now settings for potential mass shootings. As the rates of deaths due to gun violence have risen, policymakers have failed to take a national stance on the issue. However, businesses have started implementing changes to decrease the number of lives lost to gun violence, and Dicks Sporting Goods is taking a bold stance.
Ed Stack is the current CEO of Dicks Sporting Goods and the son of the founder, Richard Stack. Ed became the CEO of Dicks Sporting Goods in 1984, and since then has seen tremendous growth which eventually allowed him to take the company public. A recent article by CNBC references how Ed has taken a stance on gun violence through implementing changes in Dicks Sporting Goods business strategy.
In February of 2018, after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Dicks Sporting Goods removed high-capacity magazines from their stores and stopped selling firearms to anyone under 21 years of age. Months later, Dicks removed all guns from 10 stores as a test, and in the past two months has removed all guns from another 125 locations. The entire hunting category of Dicks Sporting Goods is now under “strategic review”, despite the effects these changes have on the company as a whole.
In his book, It’s How We Play The Game: Build a Business. Take a Stand. Make a Difference. Ed Stack explains how the changes in 2018 caused a setback for the business. More than 65 employees quit, sales dropped in the following quarters, and the company lost about $5 million worth of inventory. However, in the same article by CNBC, Stacks defends these changes, stating “If we had the chance to do it all over again, we wouldn’t change a thing. Meeting the families in Parkland… the one thing I promised them when I left was that we would keep the conversation going.” (Thomas, CNBC, 2019).
DSG is not the only company that has begun making changes. Walmart has recently discontinued the sales of shooting ammunition used with military-style weapons, after two horrific shootings at Walmart stores this summer. Walmart has also announced that it will stop selling handguns in Alaska, which is the only location where Walmart still sells these products. In addition to these changes, Walmart is also asking customers to no longer carry firearms in stores.
With huge retailers such as Walmart and Dicks Sporting Goods publically taking a stand against gun violence, other companies are starting to do the same. CVS, Walgreens, and Kroger have followed in Walmarts steps and asked their customers not to carry firearms in their stores as well.
The actions of these large companies ultimately speak to the necessity for gun reform in America. Children are being harmed, communities are becoming isolated, and Americans are living in fear. So long are the days when the public can assemble in masses without a serious threat. Sentimental events, such as the Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting, have lost their charm due to the masses of armed policemen lining the streets. The issue of gun violence is morphing America into a society of isolated individuals, and something must be done. As suppliers of products that have the potential to cause so much destruction, these companies must do something to monitor how accessible these devices are. However, it is ultimately up to the American government to set policies in place to protect its people.