Chain stores ban assault riflles
Updated: 12/18/2012 4:49 pm | Published: 12/18/2012 4:39 pm
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Two major retailers took steps to stop selling semi-automatic rifles.
On Monday, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart shutdown sales of these controversial weapons.
Walmart sales affect only their internet sales.
It’s a move in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting that left 20 children and 8 adults dead.
”I defeintely do (support it),” says Jackie Heagy who was shopping near a Dicks Sporting Goods store in Salt Lake City. “I would be totally supportive of banning those kinds of weapons.”
Authorities in Connecticut are investigating to see if Adam Lanza, accused of shooting the children tried buying a rifle at a local Dick’s Sporting Goods.
The nationwide store had no comment about that latest development but focused on pulling guns off their store near Newton.
In a statement issued by Dick’s: “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."
“It could be a good thing,” says Richard Harmon who was shopping near Salt Lake City’s Dick’s store. “The problem is if not everybody does it, it doesn't solve the problem. It's more of a statement.”
Walmart confined their ban on semi-automatic rifles to internet sales meaning they’re still being sold at their stores.
At Kent Sports Store in Ogden owner Jeff Spencer says he has no desire to take his rifles off the shelf.
“I wouldn’t even consider it,” Spencer says. “They're weapons that are no different from those we have on the shelf and they're legal to own and legal to sell. We're not going to pull them off.”
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