Guns and corporate policy

Corporate America has begun to step up on the issue of guns — and in doing so it has set an example for our political leaders who seem mired in their usual dysfunction.

The massacre of 17 students and faculty at a Parkland, Fla., high school last month and the wave of student activism that followed have spurred a host of companies to action — and in a way so swift and sure that the public sector can never match.

Dick’s Sporting Goods was among the first to announce it would no longer sell guns to anyone under the age of 21 and banned the sale of assault-style weapons in its stores.

And sure, Dick’s is a place most of us think of as selling sneakers and Sox and Celtics Tshirts, but nationally 8 percent of its business is in guns.

In an open letter announcing the policy change, Dick’s chairman and CEO Edward Stack wrote, “Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims and their loved ones. But thoughts and prayers are not enough.

“We support and respect the Second Amendment,” he added, but “gun violence is an epidemic that’s taking the lives of too many people, including the brightest hope for the future of America — our kids.”

Within hours, Walmart, which stopped selling AR-15s in 2015, announced it will no longer sell firearms and ammunition to customers younger than 21, and would remove items resembling assaultstyle rifles from its website.

Kroger and L.L. Bean have also adopted the age 21 standard. And REI, which doesn’t sell guns, announced it won’t sell other products — such as bike helmets and water bottles — made by the gun manufacturer Vista Outdoor.

It is the start of what could be a healthy corporate trend — especially with investment firms like BlackRock asking questions of gun makers and retailers and vowing to create gun-free investment funds.

The “good guys” in the gun debate are becoming easier and easier to find. Now it’s up to consumers to put their money where their principles are and support them.