Dick's Sporting Goods CEO Ed Stack said this week that the retailer has destroyed $5 million worth of assault rifles in an attempt to prevent mass shootings.

"If we really think these things should be off the street, we need to destroy them," Stack told CBS News in an interview Sunday, adding that the guns were turned to scrap metal. Stack said that after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, he made the decision to remove the AR-15 off store shelves.

Stack said he became even more concerned after he heard the Parkland shooter had purchased a shotgun at Dick's. The February 2018 shooting killed 17 people and injured 17 others, with survivors angry over inaction on gun control policy.

"We found out that we sold this kid a shotgun," Stack continued. "That's when I said, 'we're done.'" Stack then made it company policy to not sell guns to people under the age of 21 and to stop selling high-capacity magazines.

Despite these changes, Stack considers himself a strong supporter of the second amendment and gun rights. His book, "It's How We Play the Game: Build a Business. Take a Stand. Make a Difference," goes on sale Tuesday.

Although Stack's decisions may lose some customers, he has said that "our business is pretty good" and that the ongoing U.S.-China trade war has had no "meaningful" impact on the company.

Several deadly shootings this summer in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, have intensified the gun control debate. Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke has even called for a mandatory assault rifle buy-back program, which has been criticized by the National Rifle Association.

Other companies are also taking measures or raising awareness on the gun control issue.

Retail giant Walmart has ended all handgun and "short-barrel rifle" ammunition sales and asked customers not to openly carry guns at its stores. Apple CEO Tim Cook has criticized lawmakers for not doing more to prevent gun violence.

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