There’s more money to be made selling athletic shoes and sporting equipment instead of guns and ammunition, the CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods told analysts in a Tuesday earnings call.

That’s driven the Findlay Township-based company’s decision to stop selling guns and guns and hunting supplies at 440 of its about 740 stores this year, company officials said.

Hunting supplies are among the items that have the least profit margin, Dick’s CEO Edward Stack said.

Dick’s decided two years ago to stop selling assault rifles, high capacity magazines and bump stocks after a Parkland, Fla., school shooting spree.

In the time since, the company has removed what it called the “hunt” category from 135 stores and will remove the department from 140 more stores by June, Stack said.

All told, the company will stop selling guns and hunting supplies at 440 of its stores this year, according to its earnings press release.

The areas of the stores where guns were sold will be replaced by expanded offerings of other sporting goods that will vary by location, Stack said.

The company will continue to sell hunting supplies in fewer than 100 of its about 720 locations, Stack said.

“There stores in more rural areas where hunting is an important part of people’s lives to feed themselves … they hunt not just for sport, but they hunt to actually feed their families,” Stack said. “We’ve taken a look at that and we think it’s important to provide that. It is going to be just primarily hunting product.”

Removing guns hasn’t hurt Dick’s earnings, according to Lee Belitsky, executive vice president and chief financial officer.

“I think we’re pleased with the results,” Belitski said. “While removal of hunting from 125 stores contributed to a meaningful sales decline in that category, these stores compared positively overall during the peak hunt selling season.”

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