Gun Stores Mock Dick's Sporting Goods with Scathing New Signs
In the wake of the Parkland shooting, Dick’s Sporting Goods decided to become the vanguard of the pusillanimous corporate response to pressure exerted by gun control groups.
First, it banned modern sporting rifles — or, as we’ve started to call them, “assault weapons” — from subsidiary stores. It also raised the age limit to purchase firearms from 18 to 21, in spite of the fact that gun ownership is the constitutional right of every adult.
Predictably, Dick’s seen a lot of pushback from its policy changes — and some of it comes from other gun retailers.
In fact, Boyert Shooting Center in Katy, Texas seems to be having a lot of fun with it. Their anti-Dick’s campaign first came to light on Twitter, when someone noticed this well-done troll:
Awesome gun store sign in Katy, Texas! pic.twitter.com/APbDs3qkh0
— Beth Baumann (@eb454) May 26, 2018
That wasn’t all, though. When gun-maker Springfield decided to cut ties with Dick’s Sporting Goods, citing the retailer “hiring a group for anti-Second Amendment lobbying,” Boyert decided to run a “Springfield Armory ‘Done With Dick’s’ Blowout Sale!”
“We’ll also be offering 10 percent off any Springfield holsters and accessories,” they added. “This is going to be an opportunity you definitely won’t want to miss!”
But, hey — if you missed that, Mossberg also cut ties with Dick’s Sporting Goods, so I’m sure there was another sale to be had there.
And, in fact, they were hardly the only ones making hay off of Dick’s decision to get skittish on the Second Amendment.
And another awesome gun sign. This one is in Little River, South Carolina. pic.twitter.com/70eaqmeWhM
— Beth Baumann (@eb454) May 26, 2018
Travis Clark, Boyert’s program director, said his company had gotten positive reactions to its sign.
“It was meant to have people react to it and hopefully most understand that we are referring to the company and not an individual. We have had a lot of people come in and tell us they love the sign,” he said.
“It’s about 99 percent support,” Brad Stamper of Crossroads Pawn said. “Our phone’s ringing off the hook.”
So, how’s Dick’s doing? Well, two major gun manufacturers have cut all ties with the chain, its stock price is down due to major declines in same-store sales, and the CEO isn’t sounding super-positive about the future.
“There’s going to be some pushback and we expected that,” CEO Edward Stack said. “There are going to be the people who don’t shop us anymore for anything.”
I’m not sure which I love more, the power of the free market or the Second Amendment. Thank God I live in a country where I don’t have to choose — and I can spend my money at places like Boyert and Crossroads.
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