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Gun enthusiasts are calling for a boycott against Academy Sports & Outdoors after the sporting goods store said certain firearms would not be put out on display anymore.
The Texas-based sporting goods chain made the controversial move in light of the Orlando mass shooting.
The directive, now circulating on the web, stated “given Sunday's tragic incident in Orlando and out of sensitivity for the victims, Academy Sports Outdoors is taking several steps related to the advertising and display of modern sporting rifles, or MSRs."
The guidelines also asked stores to remove any weapon resembling the MSR's, like air soft guns, from high visibility areas. Academy will still sell the high powered rifles but will keep them in storage and equip them with trigger locks.
The gun rights community is coming down hard on the chain.
"What Academy needs to be doing is selling more guns offering safety classes and teaching people how to shoot,” said Tammy Koontz with Texas Gun Rights.
One look at some of the public posts on the sporting goods company's Facebook page and the call for a boycott is clear. One post said "looks like it's time for my family to stop shopping at Academy.”
“It's like ‘what are you thinking?’” said Koontz. “You're going to have a lot of gun owners going to other stores look for their guns. But also, they're going to start going to other sporting goods stores to get their sporting needs met.”
FOX 4 reached out to Academy but did not hear back from the company.
Dick's Sporting Goods made a similar move after the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 and suspended sales of the MSR's.