Mossberg And MKS Break Ties With Dick’s Sporting Goods
BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 6 months ago
Ohio-based MKS, whose products include Hi-Point Firearms and Inland M1911s, have announced they won’t sell to Dick’s and their affiliates on Second Amendment grounds.
MKS said the recent move by Dick’s to hire a government affairs group for the purpose of gun control lobbying, coupled with the big box retailer’s past choices to destroy their existing inventory of AR-15s and refuse firearm sales to those under age 21 put the two companies at odds when it came to the right to keep and bear arms.
“In recent months, Dick’s Sporting Goods and its subsidiary, Field & Stream, have shown themselves, in our opinion, to be no friend of Americans’ Second Amendment,” said Charles Brown, MKS president. “We believe that refusing to sell long guns to adults under age 21, while many young adults in our military are not similarly restricted, is wrong. We believe that villainizing modern sporting rifles in response to pressure from uninformed, anti-gun voices is wrong. We believe that hiring lobbyists to oppose American citizens’ freedoms secured by the Second Amendment is wrong.”
I doubt MKS sells that much inventory to Dick’s. But this next one hurts.
NORTH HAVEN, CT – O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc., a leading American firearms manufacturer, announced today its decision to discontinue selling products to Dick’s Sporting Goods, and its subsidiary, Field & Stream, in response to their hiring of gun control lobbyists in April 2018.
Effective immediately, O.F. Mossberg & Sons will not accept any future orders from Dick’s Sporting Goods or Field & Stream, and is in the process of evaluating current contractual agreements.
“It has come to our attention that Dick’s Sporting Goods recently hired lobbyists on Capitol Hill to promote additional gun control.” said Iver Mossberg, Chief Executive Officer of O.F. Mossberg & Sons. “Make no mistake, Mossberg is a staunch supporter of the U.S. Constitution and our Second Amendment rights, and we fully disagree with Dick’s Sporting Goods’ recent anti-Second Amendment actions.”
I have written a note to Mossberg Media Relations as follows.
I have no doubt my readers will ask about whether this decision is determinative and controlling, or just applies to firearms ordered from Dick’s bypassing distributors. Or another way to ask the question is this. Will Mossberg enforce this decision with distributors too, requiring them to refrain from selling to Dick’s?
As of this writing I have not received a response. But it appears as if these two manufacturers aren’t so worried about “a conspiracy in restraint of trade.” What is Dick’s going to do – fight the lawyers from every gun manufacturer in America?
Good for MKS and Mossberg. Let’s keep piling it on with other gun manufacturers. I hope Mossberg’s lawyers can work out not supplying them with existing contracts.
On May 10, 2018 at 2:38 am, DAN III said:
ALCON,
In the meantime we have Kimber America which continues to headquarter and manufacture firearms in Yonkers, Peoples Democratic Republic of New York, selling to Dicks/Field and Stream.
Kimber, as one example, continues to support Marxist governments with their payrolls and tax payments to the PDR of NY and municipalities. They have made no effort to escape from the tyranny of Cuomoland.
As far as I am concerned firearm manufacturers who continue to exist in anti-Freedom venues that support tyranny, are no less villains than Dicks/Field & Stream.
On May 10, 2018 at 7:27 am, JTwig said:
I’ve been looking at a Mossberg MVP in 5.56 for a while, after reading this I think I’ll pull the trigger (bad pun intended) on purchasing it.
On May 10, 2018 at 8:26 am, Just Me said:
Glad Mossberg’s doing what it’s doing in regards to Dick’s.
But why’s Mossberg continuing to be headquartered in Connecticut, a land long under the the heavy hand of an anti-gun state government.
On May 10, 2018 at 11:08 am, Chish said:
How soon until Super Soaker pulls their squirt guns? LMAO
On May 10, 2018 at 11:12 am, Herschel Smith said:
@Chish,
I’m laughing too. At Dick’s, For being dicks. Get woke, go broke. Buh bye.
On May 10, 2018 at 1:13 pm, Scott said:
L.L. Bean has instituted a under 21 ban also:
“Good morning Scott,
In light of recent events, we felt it was time to raise the minimum age required to purchase guns from L.L.Bean to 21. We understand this decision may disappoint some, but we strongly believe it is the responsible thing to do.
I sincerely hope you will reconsider your decision and do business with us again in the future.”
Sincerely,
Nancy
L.L.Bean Customer Service
800-441-5713
On May 10, 2018 at 1:29 pm, Fred said:
LL Bean’s ‘outdoor’ gear is not all that rugged anymore(20 years now) and their ‘workwear’ isn’t that great and their prices keep doubling because east coast lefty ‘outdoor enthusiasts’ are their main customer. Their dress shirts are extraordinarily good as are collard sportswear/casual button down shirts…but again expensive for my taste. Never did like the fit of their jeans/casual pants. They probably always were Upland birding and fishing Fudds.
On May 10, 2018 at 1:30 pm, Herschel Smith said:
I have nothing LLB and intend to have nothing LLB. But thanks for mentioning it, Scott.
On May 10, 2018 at 3:22 pm, TheOtherGeorge said:
Solidarity among the firearms manufacturers (and ammo producers) with meaningful countermeasures against the anti gun forces as exemplified by Mossberg is precisely what is needed to counter the anti-gun moves by the likes of Dicks and the banking institutions. This and an exodus by the remaining manufacturers in the New England area of the country to friendlier states, as others have stated. I am hopeful of an political coalition of these gun and ammo producers to make them a force to be reckoned with. I hope they see the light and get with the program. I will write to each of the manufacturers urging them to do this – it isn’t much, but it is something that I and each of us can do.
That said, moving plant and hopefully offering existing employees jobs (who have valuable skills) and aid in moving to the new location would be expensive and difficult, but it can be done as Ruger had done years ago. Still, it has its own rewards and the states that will benefit from this move will no doubt offer incentive$ to sweeten the deal.
On May 10, 2018 at 3:30 pm, Herschel Smith said:
@George,
Make a copy of all your letters and send them our way for encouragement to others. I’ll batch it up all in one post.
On May 11, 2018 at 12:59 am, TheOtherGeorge said:
“Make a copy of all your letters and send them our way for encouragement to others. I’ll batch it up all in one post.”
Will do. I intend to write to a selection of the major manufacturers in order to make the task manageable (when I said I would write to “each” of the manufacturers, I really wasn’t thinking straight- the list is huge).The real problem is determining WHO to write to within each organization. Who, within each of these companies is the best choice to receive this letter and might have the clout (and inclination) to bring it to the attention of the board of directors or whoever considers and implements such decisions as was made by Mossberg in this case? “To whom it may concern” is not an option.
On May 11, 2018 at 2:41 pm, moe mensale said:
“L.L. Bean has instituted a under 21 ban also:”
Another addition to the “virtue signaling” bandwagon. Not anything to get really worked up about since they only sell guns – and only Fudd guns – at their main Maine store. But it’s aggravating none the less. Screw’em. Their shit is overpriced shit anyways. Just like Starbucks. Just like Yeti.
On May 14, 2018 at 2:46 pm, Reltney McFee said:
“I sincerely hope you will reconsider your decision to do business with us again in the future.”
Sincerely,
Nancy
L.L.Bean Customer Service
800-441-5713
There. Fixed it for you. And, why, YES! I will reconsider my (previous) decisions to do (any) business with you.