More than 19,000 people have signed an online petition urging outdoor retail chain REI to sever ties with Vista Outdoor due to the company’s ties to the NRA and brands that manufacture and sell guns and ammunition.
The petition, started by REI member Jesse Ladner and aimed at REI Co-Op CEO Jerry Stritzke, received thousands of signatures from members and spurred the company on Thursday to release a statement on the matter.
In the statement, REI agreed to halt all orders from Vista since the company did not plan on making a public statement regarding a plan of action to address gun safety. But REI left unclear whether it’s demanding any specific action from Vista as a condition of selling its products again, and REI did not return a request for comment.
“[W]e have decided to place a hold on future orders of products that Vista sells through REI while we assess how Vista proceeds,” the REI statement said.
Vista owns CamelBak, Giro, and Bell, and also has a “shooting sports” division that sells a line of semi-automatic rifles, ammunition, and gun accessories. Vista owns Savage Arms, which manufactures “modern sporting rifles,” among other types of guns.
One of the shootings brands the company has is Federal Premium Ammunition, which sponsors the National Rifle Association’s online video channel.
According to the statement, REI believes it is the responsibility of companies that manufacture and sell guns and ammunition to come up with solutions to stop gun violence like the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., last month.
