Dick 's Sporting Goods , one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the world , says it has removed all guns from its store nearest to Newtown , Connecticut , and is suspending the sale of certain kinds of semi-automatic rifles from its chains nationwide . The move was made out of respect for the victims and families of last week 's Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting `` during this time of national mourning , '' the store said in a statement Tuesday morning . `` We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by this terrible tragedy , '' the statement said . It was unclear how long the store will keep the suspension in place for the guns , known as 'modern sporting rifles . ' It 's also not known whether this is the first time the store has taken such a step after a shooting that made national headlines . After Newtown , the NRA goes silent . A search of Dick 's Sporting Goods website early Tuesday morning showed a blank page for `` modern sporting rifles . '' The move comes after reports that investigators were trying to determine whether the gunman in the Newtown shooting , Adam Lanza , tried to buy a gun from a Dick 's Sporting Goods store in the city of Danbury , about 12 miles away . `` At this time , reports that the suspect visited one of our stores last week have not been confirmed by law enforcement , '' the sporting goods store said in a statement . `` Based on our records , we can confirm that no firearms were sold to the suspect identified in this case . ''
It is unclear how long the store will last . They were not sold to Adam yet , the store says .