Dick's losing customers

Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. is like the Starbucks of sporting goods stores. They have to throw out their uninformed opinion about gun control and don't know what they're talking about.

They say their decision to not sell firearms to adults under 21 years old has hurt traffic and retail sales. The decision came on the heels of the Parkland, Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead.

Customers are upset, especially those who know that most mass shooters are over 21 and the latest school shooter, who was 19, was on law enforcement radar multiple times as well as mental health radar, but the warnings were ignored.

So Dick's tried to virtue signal by raising the age to 21, while federal law makes it 18 years of age. 

Walmart is doing the same.

Dick's said it was surprised by the "outpouring of support" by ignorant people who don't wait for the victims to be buried before calling for more gun control.

Ask Chicago about gun control. Ask Detroit.

"Some of those customers that buy firearms, buy other things also," Dick's Chief Executive Edward Stack figured out all by himself. "There are just going to be some people who just don't shop us anymore for anything."

Let's hope so. Any establishment that goes against the Second Amendment should lose business.

Initially, President Trump almost took the bait, but now the administration is exploring actual efficacious ways to lessen gun violence. Stop and frisk is one step, and arming trained teachers and school staff is another. I suspect a better data base on mental health issues and law enforcement that actually enforces the law, would reduce gun crime. Getting rid of "gun-free" (aka:"shoot me") zones would also help.

At least Dick's stupidity translated to it's market shares, which fell 2.5% midday Tuesday as they reported a sales decline of 2% in its latest quarter.

It's kind of what Starbucks did when they chose sides and became the nation's  political virtue mavens. 

Just serve the damn coffee.

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