One gun seller isn’t happy with Dick’s Sporting Goods decision to agree to the demands of gun control advocates.
Palmetto State Armory, a Columbia, South Carolina-based firearms company, went on record in support of the Second Amendment on Thursday, issuing a statement calling out Dick’s for referring to the AR platform as an “assault rifle” instead of the correct term — Armalite Rifle — and for caving to the demands of gun control proponents.
The Palmetto State Armory statement was a strong rejection of the propensity to blame the “tool” instead of the perpetrator, and included a call to “approach this negativity with humanity” with the hope that both sides can “have a civil and intellectual conversation that continues to make this amazing country better.”
Read the statement below, via NBC News2:
Palmetto State Armory would like to go on record stating that we support the Second Amendment. While this may seem like an obvious statement, we as a company felt it necessary to make our opinion known to the general public. Palmetto State Armory also strongly supports the First Amendment which enables individuals to voice their opinions, even those in contrast with our own. We believe that a primary purpose of the Second Amendment is actually to protect the First Amendment.
In regards to the actions taken today by the CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods to no longer sell the AR-15 platform, while we do not agree with this decision, we recognize the fact that capitalism gives him the right to make this call. PSA however, does have an issue when misinformation is spread in the very next sentence by referring to the platform as an “assault rifle.” AR stands for Armalite Rifle which pays homage to the company that originally created the platform. To blame the rifle or a high capacity magazine for the actions of an evil man is illogical and is only applied when referring to firearms. Senseless acts of violence are a terrible plague on society that we all recognize we need to try and prevent as a community, but to blame a tool such as a firearm is at very best missing the point of the problem. When a vehicle is used to commit an act of violence we as a society do not blame the car, we do not blame the speed, or the steering wheel, but rather the driver. It is our hopes that we can approach this negativity with humanity and both sides of the argument can come together and have a civil and intellectual conversation that continues to make this amazing county better. We are all in this together, and we all want the same thing. Safety, happiness, and the “American Dream.”
As The Daily Caller reported Wednesday, Dick’s Sporting Goods ended sales of the AR-15 in its 35 Field & Stream stores. The retailer had already discontinued sales of the semi-automatic weapon at its Dick’s stores following the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012.
