Dick’s Leads the Way on Divide-and-Conquer Defeatism

The Second Amendment according to Dick’s CEO Edward Stack (Adapted from “George Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge,” John Ward Dunsmore, Public Domain)

“Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc., one of the largest retailers of its kind in the United States, is taking new steps to curtail the sale of firearms, including ending sales of assault-style rifles and banning the sale of guns to people younger than 21,” ABC News reported Wednesday.

“We need to do something,” Chairman and CEO Edward Stack told Good Morning America. “And we’re taking these guns out of all of our stores permanently.”

“Something” like what? Side with those who blame and want to ban guns? You’ll notice Stack offers no other “solutions.”

It’s not the first time Dick’s has thrown non-“sporting purposes” gun owners under the bus. They’d abandoned them in time of need after Sandy Hook when they ceased selling “modern sporting rifles” in all but their Field & Stream subsidiaries, and with this new announcement, the self-imposed “ban,” including on “high capacity magazines,” is complete.

But it’s their right, right? They’re not hindering anyone else’s ability to purchase guns of their choice elsewhere. This is just an internal business decision.

Bull. It’s abandoning their brothers-in-arms on the battlefield in a time of dire need and leaving them to stand or fall while the cowardly profiteers who want the benefits of gun owner business without the rigors or risks slink away. It is emboldening the enemy. Their competitors who will not collapse and turn tail, but who hold fast and faithfully and stand with us through the storm, are the ones who earn our continued association.

And today’s decision is already being put to great use by the enemies of the right to keep and bear arms. Look at all the triumphant “news” articles.  The anti-gunners (and anti-hunters) are loving it.

Besides, Dick’s has gone beyond just controlling its own business. They’ve joined forces with the gun-grabbers to try and control ours.  From the company “media statement”:

• At the same time, we implore our elected officials to enact common sense gun reform and pass the following regulations:


• Ban assault-style firearms


• Raise the minimum age to purchase firearms to 21


• Ban high capacity magazines and bump stocks


• Require universal background checks that include relevant mental health information and previous interactions with the law


• Ensure a complete universal database of those banned from buying firearms


• Close the private sale and gun show loophole that waives the necessity of background checks

Dianne Feinstein couldn’t have said it any better. And all backed by force of state arms. Dick’s has allied itself with the gun-grabbers and wannabe totalitarians. It’s joined the Dark Side and become a proud rope-seller.

“We’re staunch supporters of the 2nd Amendment,” Stack blusters, knowing very few watching him kiss DNC/Clinton apparatchik George Stephanopoulos’ ring are likely to see through the lie. “I’m a gun owner myself.”

A “staunch supporter of the Second Amendment” knows why the Framers of the Constitution considered it “necessary to the security of a free State” and also understands the offensive danger of limiting gun ownership to “sporting purposes.” Stack is now actively subverting Founding intent, and doing so to keep those pieces of silver coming in.

That may not work out the way he intends.

“Hunting has trended lower since the 1980s,” an article from last August in The Street titled “Dick’s In the Crosshairs as Gun Sales Continue to Disappoint” noted. Their shares had crashed 23% at the time.  Noting gun owner fury when gun writer Jim Zumbo ignorantly badmouthed semi-auto rifles, it will be interesting to see how gun owners react to a hunting and camping equipment retailer out there actively promoting citizen disarmament.

It’s curious that Stack doesn’t stop to think how many now elated with his concessions hate everything he stands for anyway. It’s not gun owners out there seeking to ban hunting, it’s his new “progressive friends,” happy to let him help carry their load and knowing they can always come back for “sport shooters” later.  It’s reminiscent of the story of the Cyclops Polyphemus, who promised a captured Odysseus that he would eat him last as a reward for making wine.

They nonetheless intend to eat self-serving gunkapos.

What remains to be seen is if there will be much remaining to devour, or if gun owners will deny aid and comfort to a newly-revealed enemy of the right to keep and bear arms, and let Dick’s wither to where there’s nothing left to eat. Stack has chosen to go over to the citizen disarmament camp.  Let their followers keep Dick’s doors open.

What also remains to be seen is if any gun and ammo makers publicly tell Dick’s they’re no longer interested in being suppliers. You may want to ask some of the companies at that link why they would.

As for Stack and Dick’s:

“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, — go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!” –Samuel Adams

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David Codrea’s opinions are his own. See “Who speaks for Oath Keepers?”

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