Adam Lanza Shooting Causes Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods to Suspend Some Rifle Sales

Impact

Retailers including Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart are moving to pull weapons from their shelves following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings on Friday, where gunman Adam Lanza killed 26 people including 20 school children.

Walmart pulled the Bushmaster M4A3 .223 semi-automatic rifle from its web store Monday, citing the shootings. The Nation alleges that Walmart had helped make that particular model of rifle among the most popular in the country, selling it at over 1,700 Walmart locations nationwide. Walmart has been increasingly stocking up on weapons over the past few years in its attempts to stock virtually everything a customer could want under one roof. Bushmaster’s marketing strategy has come under fire as well: check out this real ad for a Bushmaster rifle.

Similarly, Dick’s Sporting Goods will be suspending sales of several types of semiautomatic rifles. See their statement below:

“We are extremely saddened by the unspeakable tragedy that occurred last week in Newtown, CT, and our hearts go out to the victims and their families, and to the entire community.”

“Out of respect for the victims and their families, during this time of national mourning we have removed all guns from sale and from display in our store nearest to Newtown and suspended the sale of modern sporting rifles in all of our stores chainwide.”

“We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by this terrible tragedy."