Big Red Car here on a lovely Texas SXSW day. Oh, how cute. You didn’t know 250,000 tech Illuminati had invaded Austin? Well, yes, they did.

So, to the topic. Guns and Dick’s. Dick’s and guns?

After the recent tragedy in Florida at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Dick’s decided to raise its age to purchase all weapons to twenty-one even though Federal law allowed one to buy a long rifle at age eighteen.

Obviously, someone at Dick’s — a corporate Dick, perhaps — anticipated there might be a reaction for to every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction.

In this case, the Devil is in the details.

Dick’s and Guns

So, Dick’s Sporting Goods made their virtue signalling move and the anti-gun intelligentsia applauded them far and wide. [Let’s be clear. The Big Red Car is not taking a side here. Just providing a weather report. BRC finds a lot to not like on both sides of the gun debate.]

The head Dick (CEO Edward W Stack), announced that hereafter Dick’s would not be selling assault rifles (OK, you probably realize they already did this back in 2012, right?), large capacity magazines, or selling to anyone younger than twenty-one. Dick’s was joined by Walmart and others.

The Second Amendment/gun crowd condemned the move and lit up Twitter with a million tweets. Even the National Rifle Association got into the game.

So what, Big Red Car?

The so what, dear reader, is that the Second Amendment/gun crowd stopped shopping at Dick’s. Enough to show up in their retail sales numbers.

But, the Second Amendment/gun crowd did not just stop buying guns and ammo; they stopped buying everything.

Normally, there would be some compensating balances, but the anti-gun folks are not, apparently, sportspersons.

The head Dick warned that earnings would be impacted. When earnings bump into causes, well, funny things can happen. Stay tuned.

Anything else, Big Red Car?

Yes, dear reader, there is. Actually, Dick’s had announced an assault weapons ban back in 2012 after the Sandy Hook tragedy, so their recent announced ban of assault weapons was — well, you will have to figure that one out for yourself. Bit phony? Pretentious?

After the 2012 announcement — the ban before the ban — Dick’s slyly returned to selling the offending pieces of murder wizardry through its Field & Stream units. So, while they are virtuous, they limit their virtuousness to their flagship brand, apparently. Can you follow that logic?

Oh, yeah, the shithead in Florida bought a shotgun at Dick’s. The shotgun was not used in the massacre. [Note that the Big Red Car refrains from mentioning the actual names of murderers preferring to simply call them shitheads.]

Bottom line it, Big Red

OK, the Big Red Car is fine with anybody not selling anything. Check.

The Big Red Car is fine with raising the age limit to buy a weapon — rifle, pistol, tank, howitzer — to twenty-five, so, twenty-one is the low hurdles. Check. [Hell, I wouldn’t let kids drive the Big Red Car until they were thirty-six.]

But, the Big Red Car is tired of the phony virtue signalling, the ban before the ban after the ban smoke and mirrors. Step up, step out, risk the consequences. Just stop blowing smoke up our collective skirts, please.

The Big Red Car does think if you’re old enough to fight for your country you should be able to buy a long rifle and drink a beer. So, maybe a carve out for active duty military and veterans.

OK, just the real Rangers, not the kids.

But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car. Good day.