Dick's Sporting Goods To Stop Selling Assault-Style Rifles In Stores

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Dick's Sporting Goods, one of the nation's largest outdoor gear retailers, will no longer sell assault-style rifles in stores following the school massacre in Parkland, Florida.

The company made the announcement Wednesday morning, saying they "have to help solve the problem that's in front of us."

"When we saw what the kids were going through and the grief of the parents and the kids who were killed in Parkland, we felt we needed to do something," Chairman and CEO Edward Stack said on ""Good Morning America."

Beginning immediately, Dick's will: no longer sell assault-style rifles, no longer sell firearms to anyone under 21-years-old, and no longer sell high-capacity magazines.

Nickolas Cruz, the gunman who killed 17 people in Florida, mostly students, had purchased a shotgun at a Dick's store in November 2017, Stack said.

"It was not the gun, nor type of gun, he used in the shooting," Stack wrote. "But it could have been. Clearly this indicates on so many levels that the systems in place are not effective to protect our kids and our citizens."

The company also said it was calling on legislators to enact "common sense gun reform" and pass regulations that include: banning assault-style firearms, raising the minimum age to purchase firearms to 21, banning high-capacity magazines and bump stocks, and requiring background checks that include mental health information, among others.

"Some will say these steps can't guarantee tragedies like Parkland will never happen again," the statement said. "They may be correct -- but if common sense reform is enacted and even one life is saved, it will have been worth it."

Stack said Dick's is prepared for any potential backlash, but will not change its policies on gun sales.

© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.