Marketing

Anti-gun groups lobby retailers to pause sales during holiday season

Photo by istock.com

November 25, 2020

Guns Down America, an organization striving to reduce guns in the U.S., is calling on Walmart and Dick's, as well as any other retailer selling firearms, to halt sales of guns and ammo during Black Friday and the holiday shopping season.

"For months, we have seen a surge in gun sales during the pandemic, and now we are starting to see the deadly consequence as gun deaths climb. Retailers can take clear action to prioritize the lives and well-being of their customers and their employees," Guns Down America Executive Director Igor Volsky said in a press release. "Now is the time for major sporting goods retailers across the country to put community safety ahead of their profits and pause the sale of guns and ammunition."

Over the course of a decade, from 2009 to 2018, the months of October, November and December accounted for roughly 30% of all likely firearm sales, according to the group. Black Friday and the days around Christmas typically make up the largest number of background check requests in a single day each year, stated the press release.