Vista Outdoors owns Savage Arms and Federal Premium ammunition — as well as a portfolio of companies that sell outdoor gear. Products that have nothing to do with firearms per se. REI is a outdoor lifestyle retailer that sells Vista products like Camelbak water bottles and Camp Chef stoves — but not guns. And not the other stuff now, either. money.cnn.com:
REI, a retailer that sells outdoor apparel and supplies, is stopping its relationship with Vista Outdoor after the company failed to issue a statement following a mass shooting in Florida.
“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,” the retailer 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. 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.”
REI said it has been in “active discussions” with Vista this week. Vista did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
REI’s customers most likely skew heavily left, where gun rights go to die. It’s doubtful that they’d fill any kind of backlash from The People of the Gun. But the ban represents a new front in the War on Guns: companies punishing companies for their lack of political purity on the issue of gun control.
This will not end well.