Retail

REI, LL Bean are the latest retailers to take steps against guns

Key Points
  • L.L. Bean says it will no longer sell guns and ammunition to anyone below age 21.
  • REI, which doesn't sell guns, says it's halting its purchases of products made by gun maker Vista Outdoor, including CamelBak water bottles and Camp Chef stoves until Vista publicly addresses the Florida school massacre.
Customers view semi automatic guns on display at a gun shop in Los Angeles, California.
Gene Blevins | Reuters

REI and L.L. Bean are the latest retailers to come out with a stance in the ongoing gun debate, joining Kroger, Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods following the Florida high school massacre.

Late Thursday, L.L. Bean tweeted that it will no longer sell guns or ammunition to anyone below age 21.

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The privately held company sells firearms only at its flagship store in Maine. Those guns are focused on hunting, and do not include assault-style firearms, high-capacity firearms, bump stocks or handguns, L.L. Bean tweeted on Friday.

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REI, which does not sell guns, said it will stop purchasing products made by Vista Outdoor until the gun maker publicly states its plan to respond to the Florida shooting rampage that killed 17 people.

Vista products sold by REI included CamelBak water bottles and Camp Chef stoves.

"We believe that it is the job of companies that manufacture and sell guns and ammunition to work towards common sense solutions that prevent the type of violence that happened in Florida last month," REI said in a statement.

"This morning we learned that Vista does not plan to make a public statement that outlines a clear plan of action," it added. "As a result, we have decided to place a hold on future orders of products that Vista sells through REI while we assess how Vista proceeds."

Vista did not respond to requests for comment. Shares of the company, which has a market capitalization of $984 million, were down 10 percent Friday morning. The stock has lost about a quarter of its value since the Feb. 14 massacre.

On Thursday, American Outdoor Brands, formerly Smith & Wesson, saw shares plummet over 20 percent after reporting a large year-on-year sales decline. On Friday, the gun maker's shares slid 2.6 percent.

American Outdoor Brands said its sales fell 32.6 percent year over year in its fiscal third quarter, which it attributed to challenging market conditions for firearms.