Walmart and Dick's latest US company change their stance on guns

U.S. retailers Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods on Wednesday became the latest companies to reverse course on guns, announcing they will stop selling firearms to consumers under 21. Responding to the outcry following the Valentine's Day school shooting in Florida in which a 19-year-old killed 17 people, Wednesday's announcements are likely to increase pressure on U.S. politicians to take steps to implement some form of gun control. Dick's Sporting Goods announced it would remove assault rifles from stores and stop selling firearms to consumers under 21, and called on politicians to pass “common sense gun reform.” “We have tremendous respect and admiration for the students who are organizing and raising their voices against gun violence in schools and elsewhere across our country,” said Edward Stack, chief executive of Dick's. “We have heard you. The nation has heard you.” Walmart, the world's largest retailer, later announced it too would raise the minimum age for purchasing firearms and ammunition to 21 as a result of a policy review “in light of recent events.” “We are also removing items from our website that resemble assault rifles, including nonlethal airsoft guns and toys,” said Walmart, which stopped selling assault rifles in 2015. Last week, other companies, including airlines, insurance companies and car rental chains, announced the end of their promotions with the National Rifle Association, revealing a partial shift in U.S. gun policy amid passionate student activism and intense social media campaigns. “Are we at a tipping point on guns?” asked Matthew Dallek, a professor of political management at George Washington University, in a column on Yahoo on Wednesday. A Morning Consult poll found strong support for gun control among the general public, with nearly two-thirds of registered voters favoring stricter measures, including strong majorities among millennials, who marketers see as important. But in the past, public support for gun control has risen directly after shootings, only to fall again a few weeks later, said Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup poll. “Before we announce that there has been a major shift in American public opinion, we need to see if it is permanent,” Newport told AFP. Companies are also keenly aware that they risk alienating customers who support gun rights, including the NRA, the powerful lobbying group that has more than five million members and has fought against almost all gun laws. The NRA called last week's announcements a “shameful display of political and civic cowardice.” – Trying to stay 'neutral' – A separate Morning Consult/Politico poll showed that the disapproval rate among consumers doubled from 12 percent to 24 percent after it was announced that a discount for NRA members was being eliminated, while the approval rating remained unchanged. Stack said Wednesday he was prepared for a likely backlash following Dick's announcement. “We know this isn't going to make everybody happy,” he told the news and features program “Good Morning America.” But after their ordeal, “our view was, if the kids are brave enough to organize like this, then we're brave enough to get (the guns) out of here.” Companies that have changed course have tried to gain traction by advocating for gun ownership rights. “Our tradition as a company has always been to support sportsmen and hunters, and we will continue to do so in a responsible way,” Walmart said. FedEx has bucked the recent trend, maintaining a discount program for NRA members despite aggressive social media campaigns calling for it to be ended. The NRA is one of “hundreds of organizations in our alliance/association marketing program” and FedEx has “never set or changed rates for our millions of customers around the world based on their political views, beliefs or stances on specific issues,” the company said on Twitter. However, the shipping company also said its positions on gun policy “differ from those of the NRA” and that it supports restricting assault rifles to the military and views the weapons as “an inherent potential danger to schools, workplaces and communities if such weapons are misused.” Delta Air Lines, which ended discounts for NRA members flying to the group's annual meeting, called the move an attempt to “maintain a neutral status in the current national debate on gun control in light of recent school shootings,” Delta said on Twitter. “Out of respect for our customers and employees on both sides, Delta has taken this action to stay out of this debate and focus on its business. Delta continues to support” the right to bear arms, protected by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But the move was not seen as neutral by NRA supporters, including Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, who threatened on Twitter to “overturn any tax legislation that benefits Delta unless the company changes its position and fully resumes its relationship with the NRA.”