Dick's Sporting Goods destroyed $5 million worth of guns, CEO Edward Stack says

Dick’s Sporting Goods destroyed $5 million worth of assault rifles instead of returning them to their manufacturers, the Findlay-based company’s CEO told CBS in an interview.

CEO Edward Stack spoke to CBS national correspondent Lee Cowan in an interview that aired on “CBS Sunday Morning.”

“If we really think these things should be off the street, then we need to destroy them,” Stack said in the interview.

The interview was part of a segment about how business leaders like Stack are stepping up to reduce the national gun violence epidemic, something Stack also addresses in his book, “It’s How We Play the Game.”

Dick’s lost $250 million in sales by halting sales of assault rifles in its more than 700 locations after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

That shooting was close to home for Stack because Dick’s sold a gun to the former student suspected in the shooting, he told Cowan.

Since making that decision, Stack has continually advocated for some gun control measures, although he is a gun owner and Second Amendment supporter, he said.

In September, he was one of 147 CEOs who signed a letter to the Senate calling for gun safety legislation to be enacted.

In June, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto presented Stack with an award for his actions.

In March, the company ended sale of all guns and ammo at 125 of its stores. In an earnings call in August, Stack said the company was continuing its review of whether it will continue to sell guns at its remaining stores.

“We’ve got the whole category under strategic review,” Stack said in the CBS interview.

He wouldn’t elaborate further.

Dick’s officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for further comment.