MEC weighs bid to drop goods from gunmaker’s subsidiaries
Pressure is mounting on Mountain Equipment Co-op to stop carrying outdoor gear brands owned by Vista Outdoor, a Utah-based gun and ammunition company.
The Vancouver-based company said it is exploring its options after hearing from about 5,500 members on whether to pull Vista Outdoor brands, including CamelBak, Bolle, Bushnell, Camp Chef and Jimmy Styks, from its shelves.
But its slow pace was met with frustration by some customers.
“They don’t seem to be doing very much about it,” said Elaine Gola, a longtime member outside the Vancouver store on Tuesday.
“They haven’t stopped (carrying the items).”
Learning that the brands’ parent company designs and manufactures guns and ammunitions was a dealbreaker for Gola and her husband, Jan.
“We told them that if they continue to buy these products, we will no longer shop at MEC,” she said.
On Tuesday, MEC said it had consulted with its peers and “key players” in their industry as it evaluates its course of action.
Responding to questions as to why it’s taking them so long to decide, it said it’s looking at “the whole system based on the facts and information at hand.”
“Whatever decisions we make will have wider implications for the brands we carry, our sourcing practices, financial health and ability to meet our members’ need,” it said on social media.
MEC said it has a long-standing relationship with the outdoor brands, predating Vista’s ownership. It said it does not have a relationship with the NRA and does not carry firearms.
“Any direct association with the NRA lies with Vista Outdoor’s firearm and ammunition brands,” said the co-op, which has five million members and 22 stores in Canada.
A petition calling on MEC to stop carrying the brands has garnered more than 31,000 signatures. The petition said part of the co-op’s mission is to demonstrate ethical business practices, and that it had an “urgent ethical obligation” to act given the recent school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people.
Gary Matthews, a Vancouver MEC member, supports the petition. “I’m hoping they will address it, and not carry them anymore,” he said, adding that refusing to buy or carry the brands is only a “small act,” but one he hopes could support the high school students who are fighting the gun lobby in the U.S.
Other shoppers say they support the intention behind the petition, but are skeptical it’ll solve anything.
“It’s really important to use our power as consumers to influence what’s being done,” said Ian Getty.
“But at the same time this pressure to stop it in this indirect way won’t do anything.”