Retailer MEC to stop ordering from Vista Outdoor in response to Florida shooting

VANCOUVER — Mountain Equipment Co-op has decided to stop selling several outdoor equipment brands owned by Vista Outdoor Inc. which is also a gun manufacturer.

MEC chief executive David Labistour says the retailer won’t remove existing inventory from its shelves which includes Vista brands such as Bushnell, CamelBak, Camp Chef, Jimmy Styks and Bolle, but it is suspending further orders from the U.S. company.

MEC doesn’t sell guns, but had faced a petition calling on it to stop selling brands owned by Vista Outdoor because the company also develops and manufactures firearms similar to the type of rifle used in a recent Florida school shooting.

Labistour says that he has heard the calls to boycott the brands, but also from members who believe that decision should be left to individual consumers.

He says he hopes the decision to take a balanced approach will inspire a wider discussion about the corporate social responsibility for a retail co-operative like MEC.