I would have just tossed the sling to the cashier, said “have a nice day”, and walked out.
They’re not going to stop this nonsense until it starts costing them money.
Correct. I won't make the same mistake again. They lost a customer and they know it. They won't see a penny from me, and all to many people, particularly through my gun club, will hear my story and will avoid Dick's.
By the way, I am like a elephant, I remember not to do something, but I might not remember all the details. Years ago, I think it was the early 90's, K-Mart stopped selling handguns or something gun related and made a big deal out of it because it was thing to do. It was on the news on TV and in the papers. I don't recall the actual thing they did, but I assume they wanted to increase their business at the expense of gun rights. They lost a customer in me. They haven't seen any business from me since then.