Dick's Sporting Goods has hired three lobbyists to push Congress for gun control measures, according to federal records.
Records show Dick's had hired two Democrats and one Republican from the Washington-based public affairs firm Glover Park Group, The Federalist reported. The only specific lobbying issue listed on the form for their work was "lobbying related to gun control."
Their effective registration date for the lobbyists' work was April 27:
The three lobbyists tapped by Dick’s to push for gun control are listed by name in the federal disclosure forms, which are required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to be filed quarterly: Joel Johnson, who worked for both President Bill Clinton and Senate Democrat leadership; Andrew King, who worked for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.); and Christina Brown, a former staffer for Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).
Prior to retaining Glover Park Group to push for gun control, Dick’s Sporting Goods retained the services of CSA Strategies LLC, which pushed for issues such as tax reform, cybersecurity, and patent litigation reform on behalf of Dick’s during the four-year relationship between the two companies. Both firms are headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The sporting goods retailer—one of the nation's largest with more than 600 brick-and-mortar locations—announced in February it would no longer sell "assault-style" rifles—although it had already essentially enacted that measure after the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012—and would raise the minimum age for firearm purchases to 21.