Dick’s Sporting Goods halts assault-style weapon sales

Dick’s Sporting Goods, the largest sporting goods retailer in the United States, announced Wednesday it would no longer sell assault-style weapons in response to the recent deadly school shooting in South Florida. The company also announced it would raise the minimum age for all gun sales to 21 and would not sell high-capacity ammunition magazines. Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old who killed 17 people two weeks ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., purchased a gun at Dick’s in November, although the company said it did not sell him the AR-15 rifle used in the attack. “When we saw what happened in Parkland, we were so disturbed and upset,” Dick’s CEO Edward Stack told The New York Times. “We’re going to take a stand and step up and tell people our view and, hopefully, bring people along into the conversation.” Stack said discovering Dick’s sold the Parkland shooter a weapon spurred the company into action. U.S. lawmakers are considering legislation that would ban some weapons and raise the minimum age to purchase a rifle from 18 to 21. Meanwhile, state governors convened at the White House this week to talk about gun laws and other ways to better protect U.S. schools.