In the recent political climate surrounding gun control, Dick’s Sporting Goods decided to remove assault rifles from their stores last February. More recently, the company unveiled their newest effort in the fight for gun control by removing all hunting gear from their stores. They decided to have 10 trial stores remove all hunting gear and replace them with other outerwear.I believe the removal of hunting gear is a step in the right direction for Dick’s Sporting Goods. If Dick’s removes all of their hunting gear, they would be working too diminish the vast casualties resulting from gun violence. Without proper safety protocol, the weapons that were sold in Dick’s could have become incredibly dangerous for people. While it is very likely the people who buy guns from sporting stores are using it for sport, there is still a possibility that someone would use the guns to inflict harm on others.

It is unacceptable that a store like Dick’s ever sold something as dangerous as guns in the first place. A store that sells kids’ cleats, should not be allowed to sell dangerous weapons as well. The trials seem completely appropriate because the point of Dick’s is not to buy guns or rifles, but to buy fun equipment for outdoor activities. The efforts from gun control petitioners are not meant to block hunters from participating in their hobby, but only to have stricter safety protocols for those who want to purchase guns. By Dick’s contemplating taking away their dangerous weapons and other gear, they are doing their part in fighting for greater gun safety.

The action that Dick’s is taking is great for our country because it will allow guns to be more safely purchased by the consumer from establishments that have stricter safety rules and require higher clearance. However, it’s ridiculous that these decisions are up to private businesses in the first place and are not already mandated by the Federal Government. The gun control in this country is laughable compared to other developed nations and in order to protect the public, stricter laws should have been made years ago. We are not taking necessary action when it comes to protecting Americans who are at risk of gun violence at school, at work and at home, even after having so many mass shootings.

Since the government isn’t taking sufficient action, companies like Dick’s Sporting Goods needs to take necessary action. Companies like Dick’s perpetuate guns and using guns for sport, so by taking away the harmful weapons, they are doing their part in diminishing the accessibility of guns.

Dicks’s Sporting Goods is considering to remove all of their hunting gear because of the rising issue of gun violence in schools, according to Fortune. According to Kare 11, Dick’s started testing out this idea with 10 stores already removing hunting gear from the shelves, replacing it with other products.

The Second Amendment states Americans have the right to bear arms, and Dick’s removing guns would take away that right that others want to use for hunting.

Also, experienced hunters who have been doing so for years should not be punished for the actions of a few criminals. As long as they do so responsibly, hunters should be able to keep their Second Amendment right.

Because Dick’s does background checks, the goal of reducing gun violence while still keeping gun sales within established stores, as proven by national background check statistics. According to National Center for Health Research, background checks have already blocked 1 million felons, 291,000 domestic abusers and 118,000 fugitives from buying guns.

Additionally, background checks done at the local level produced a 22 percent decrease in the rates of gun related murders, according to National Center for Health Research. Stores benefit with background checks because they know who it is safe to sell firearms to and know who wants a gun to hunt or who may use to harm themselves or others.

While Dick’s intention of getting rid of gun violence is noble, Americans should have the freedom to hunt legally. Background checks achieve the same goal as what the company is striving to do, which is ensuring public safety.