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Major retailers are facing backlash for selling guns. Here's how 13 chains across America sell them.
Major retailers are facing backlash for selling guns. Here's how 13 chains across America sell them.
Shoshy CimentAug 8, 2019, 19:06 IST
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Chris Devers
A deadly shooting in an El Paso, Texas Walmart has ignited a conversation about where people get their guns.
Despite two recent mass shooting attacks in its stores and rising pressure from activists, Walmart has not indicated a policy change regarding the guns that it sells.
A few big-box retailers still carry an assortment of weapons and firearms. Here are the policies of 13 major stores that still sell guns in the US.
But despite two deadly shootings in two different stores, Walmart has not yet announced a change in its gun sales policies. And some are getting frustrated, taking to social media with the hashtag #boycottwalmart. A petition created by gun-control advocacy group Guns Down America is urging Walmart to remove all guns from its stores, though it is unclear how many signatures it has.
Attention is now also turning to other large chain retailers that sell guns.
The anti-Trump and generally progressive #grabyourwallet social media campaign has added stores that sell guns to people under 21 years old or assault-style weapons to the list of companies on their radar. Organizer Shannon Coulter urged people via Twitter to reach out to Academy Sports, Bass Pro Shops, and more to call for a change in their policies
Federal law requires only that customers intending to buy a gun be over 18 years old and pass a background check. But some big box stores already have changed their rules about gun sales to make it more stringent than that.
Big-box retailers like Dick's Sporting Goods and Walmart changed their policies after pressure from activists in the wake the of the 2018 Parkland, Florida shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that claimed 17 lives. Policy changes included raising age minimums for gun purchases and stopping the sale of certain weapons.
The Kroger-owned Fred Meyers chain stopped selling guns altogether in 2018 after customer feedback and declining sales convinced management it wasn't worth keeping them around in its 45 stores.
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Walmart is one of the largest sellers of firearms in the country, NPR reported. Mass shooters often buy their guns at local non-chain gun stores, though sometimes they get them from private sellers, gun control advocate David Chipman told NPR.
Despite the mounting pressure due to recent events, no stores have announced any recent policy changes related to gun or ammo sales.
Representatives for the companies in the list did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Here are the policies of seven major stores that still sell firearms in the US.
Walmart removed assault-style semi-automatic rifles from its shelves in 2015 and changed the minimum buying age to 21 from 18 two weeks after the 2018 Parkland, Florida high school shooting.
The superstore has not announced any new change in gun sales policy following two deadly attacks in different locations of the superstore in 2019, including a shooting at an El Paso location that left 22 people dead.
Though Walmart made changes to its gun sales policies in 2015 and again in 2018, people are calling for more change via Twitter with hashtags like #boycottwalmart and #guncontrolnow.
Guns Down America, a gun-control advocacy group, started a petition that demands that Walmart remove all guns from its stores.
Walmart still sells a range of firearms in roughly 4,000 of its stores as of 2018, and remains the largest store chain that sells guns in the US.
Dick's Sporting Goods
In the wake of the deadly shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Dick's Sporting Goods CEO Ed Stack announced its two chains (Dick's also owns Field & Stream) owned by the company would stop selling assault-style weapons and would require gun buyers to be at least 21 years old in all of its stores.
The company sold a gun to 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz who is accused of killing 17 people in a Florida high school, The New York Times reported, but the gun was not used.
Dick's later said it would stop selling guns in 10 stores as a pilot program and announced in March it would expand the test to more than 125 store locations.
Though Dick's CEO Edward Stack hinted that the company could remove guns from more locations, many of the chain's 720 stores across the United States sell guns.
Field & Stream
Dick's Sporting Goods' subsidiary chain Field and Stream, which is focusing on hunting and fishing gear, sell guns with the same policies as Dick's.
Bass Pro Shops sells different types of firearms, including semi-automatic rifles. Bass Pro has 200 retail and marine center stores located across North America.
Buyers must be a resident of the state in which they purchase a firearm and must be at least 18 or 21 years of age, depending on the firearm.
Bass Pro Shops did not stop selling weapons after the shooting in Parkland in 2018, despite gun policy changes from Dick's and Walmart.
Cabela's
Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela's in 2017, which has over 50 locations across North America and gun purchases are subject to the same policies as its parent company.
Camping World
Camping World, a retailer focused on RV sales, also sells firearms.
According to its website, Camping World sells guns and ammunition to buyers who are over 21 years of age, though local and state laws also apply.
The retailer faced pressure this year from the business software company Salesforce to stop selling many of its weapons. Camping World did not make any immediate notable changes to its gun sales policy. It is no longer listed as a customer on Salesforce's website.
Gander Outdoors, which was acquired by Camping World and renamed from Gander Mountain in 2017, sells semi-automatic firearms and others with the same rules as Camping World.
Gander Outdoors had 162 stores in 2017, but shuttered 32 stores after filing for bankruptcy that same year. The chain was bought by Camping World Holdings shortly after which announced in 2018 that 69 new Gander Outdoors stores would open that year.
Academy Sports and Outdoors
The sporting goods chain sells semi-automatic weapons and did not announce a plan to change its gun sales policies in 2018.
"We serve a broad base of customers, and outdoor sports, including hunting and shooting sports, are an important tradition and recreational activity for many of our customers and their families," senior director of communications Elise Hasbrook told The Huffington Post in the wake of the deadly shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018.
Academy Sports and Outdoors requires all buyers to comply with state and local laws for gun purchase. They must also pass a criminal background check and can be turned away without a sale for any reason, the store's website says.
L.L. Bean
L.L. Bean's Maine flagship store is the only store of its over 39 locations that sells guns, according to CNN, but the company announced in 2018 that it would restrict its sales to those who are 21 or older.
The Maine-based retailer made this announcement following similar announcements from other retailers like Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods at the time.
Big 5 Sporting Goods
Big 5 Sporting Goods has an age minimum of 18 for gun purchases. The company sells semi-automatic weapons in addition to other firearms, according to its website.
As of November of 2018, Big 5 Sporting Goods had over 400 locations across the US.
There are over 90 Sportsman's Warehouse locations across the US. The retailer sells a range of firearms to buyers who are 18 years or older, according to its website. Certain weapons and additions are only sold to customers who are 21 years or older.
Sportsman's Warehouse also sells semi-automatic weapons.
Scheels
Scheels has 27 locations in 13 different states and sells a variety of firearms to buyers who are 18 years or older, according to its website.
Scheels requires a background check and ID verification before purchase.
