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Bloomberg: Bass Pro's Johnny Morris has 'constructive' talk with Sandy Hook families

Johnny Morris is CEO and founder of Bass Pro Shops, based in Springfield.

Business news network Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Bass Pro CEO Johnny Morris met privately with representatives for the families of victims in the Sandy Hook elementary-school shooting.

Six educators and 20 children died in the 2012 massacre.

Last week, Sandy Hook families called on Bass Pro and Cabela's, which Bass Pro owns, to stop selling the Bushmaster AR-15, used in the Sandy Hook shooting, and the Smith & Wesson M&P AR-15, used in the recent Parkland, Florida shooting, the News-Leader reported.

Bloomberg reported that since then, two attorneys for the Sandy Hook families spoke to Morris.

“We had an honest and constructive introductory discussion,” lawyers Josh Koskoff and Katie Mesner-Hage told Bloomberg in a statement.

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“Given the delicate nature of the issue at hand and out of respect for both the families and Mr. Morris, we won’t comment further but look forward to continuing the discussion in the near future.”

The conversation took place after last month's school shooting in Parkland, Florida spurred new calls on retailers to curb sales of weapons such as AR-15s.

Dick's Sporting Goods recently announced that it would stop selling the weapons and would no longer sell firearms to people younger than 21.

Walmart, which stopped selling the rifles in 2015, also said it would raise the minimum age.

Protestors from Moms Demand Action hold signs outside the Bass Pro Shops Base Camp on east Kearney Street on Friday, March 2, 2018 hoping too influence the company to tighten requirements to purchase firearms.

The News-Leader interviewed an economist last week who has tracked Bass Pro Shops for years. He said that the Springfield-based company has a lot to lose if it decides to stop selling AR-15-style weapons.

Nathan Yates, adjunct professor of economics and finance at Southern New Hampshire University and a former business analyst, said Bass Pro customers are different from those at Dick's Sporting Goods.

"Dick’s Sporting Goods stores are increasingly focused on apparel and team sports instead of hunting and shooting (or fishing)," Yates told the News-Leader. "Their core customers aren’t typically firearms enthusiasts, so dropping AR-15s was a good PR move with little downside risk. The lost revenue will be immaterial for Dick’s Sporting Goods."

"On the other hand, Bass Pro Shops is a shooter’s paradise," Yates said. "They also 'target' consumers who are very pro-gun. Bass Pro would lose material revenue if they dropped assault weapons/modern sporting rifles/whatever you want to call them, but most importantly, Bass Pro would risk customer satisfaction."

Yates added, "It’s highly unlikely that Bass Pro would enjoy a net PR boost by reducing their firearms inventory."

Bass Pro Shops has not yet responded to News-Leader requests for a comment about its firearms sales or the talks with Sandy Hook families.

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On Friday, a small group from the Springfield chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America protested outside Bass Pro Shops' corporate headquarters on East Kearney Street.

The group said it wants Bass Pro to tighten its firearm-sale rules — but they're not asking the company to stop selling AR-15s.

Some students in the Springfield area are involved in planning school walkouts, gun violence forums and other actions in protest of mass shootings in U.S. schools, the News-Leader previously reported.

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The News-Leader's Wes Johnson contributed reporting to this story.