NSSF Gives Dick’s the Boot

NSSF has given Dick’s the boot! Springfield stops doing business with them too.

This is a positive development. Every other NSSF member should likewise stop doing business with Dick’s. Springfield Armory is already on the ball. This step is unprecedented. In the time I’ve been involved in the issue, I can’t remember NSSF ever giving the boot to a member over their stance on gun control. Let Dick’s gun departments wither and die.

Also, a lot of hay is being made about Vista Outdoors looking to sell off its gun business. John has a lot of good details on his link. They are selling off a lot of brands, and are exiting the cycling, snow sports, and water sports markets altogether. They are keeping their ammunition brands (CCI and Federal), Blackhawk, and Bushnell, to name a few. I’ll agree the timing sucks, but I have to wonder if there aren’t financial and strategic considerations here more than “guns are icky,” especially given they are keeping the ammunition and accessory business. If you’re going to sell, you’d rather sell high, and if I were looking to get out of the gun making business, I can’t think of a better time to sell than when the public is in a panic buying mood.

I’m not saying Vista aren’t being cowards here, but before this latest bullshit, the gun business wasn’t doing so well after the post-Hillary panic failed to materialize. So I’m not quite ready to call for burning Vista to the ground without more evidence they are caving to pressure and not looking to unload an albatross when you might stand better odds of finding a buyer.

9 thoughts on “NSSF Gives Dick’s the Boot”

  1. Given “keeping ammo and accessories” and “also selling off utterly non-gunny outdoor brands”, that smells of purely business decision to me, too.

    1. Seems like they’re afraid of throwing good money after bad with Savage. Savage makes a pretty good product but really needs a significant infusion of R&D $ to compete going forward. If you’re already levered up form the acquisition you can’t make that investment very easily.

      Secondarily it seems like they’re keeping businesses that don’t require a lot of investment going forward but are fairly high margin.

  2. Vista has been struggling for a while. Their stock performance has been dismal since they split from ATK. Some sort of reorganization was inevitable. As a (small potatoes) stockholder, myself, I’m pleased to see they are trying to make a change.

  3. Yeah, the knee-jerk reaction to grab the pitch forks on the Vista announcement wasn’t warranted. I mean, I can’t remember a time in recent history I even considered Savage or Stevens when I had a need or desire to purchase a new gun.

    Besides, they aren’t shutting them down (yet), and hopefully a buyer will turn up who will keep the brands alive and grow them.

  4. In other news, we await the action of the Governor of Oklahoma on Constitutional Carry. Will she sign? Will she veto?

    She has vetoed pro-gun legislation before. And also had one of her vetos of pro-gun legislation overridden by the Legislature.

    Oklahoma Constitutional Carry passed both houses of the Legislature by veto proof margins.

  5. After what Springfield Armory did to Illinois on the dealer licensing bill I was hoping they would take a big hit. I won’t be buying any of their products.

    1. I’ve forgiven them for that. RRA too (who I think was even more involved).

      Both have come out and made very good pro-gun moves. We need to reward companies to see the light that hurting customers in politics is bad business.

  6. LOVE it. This is a war now. We need to start cutting ties with those who support the other side. I want all firearm, ammunition, and accessories companies to start doing this to Dicks. I want all of them to do the same as Hornady and cut off NY State too.

    Let’s punch back twice as hard.

  7. I purchased at Dick’s once in Illinois. I noticed a deal on some ammo so I bought a box. You don’t just have to show your FOID like at other stores, they record the number with your purchase.

    Last time I shopped there for anything.

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