Groupon suspends gun deals
Groupon halts promotions for shooting ranges, weapons courses, and other gun-related deals. Groupon says gun promotions 'not a fit right now,' but doesn't cite Newtown shootings specifically.
In this 2011 file photo, the Groupon logo etched in glass is shown in the lobby of the online coupon company's Chicago offices. Groupon has suspended gun-related promotions on its website, saying such deal 'are not a fit right now.'
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP/File
NEW YORK
Groupon has halted gun-related promotions such as deals for shooting ranges and concealed weapons courses in the wake of last month's massacre in Newtown, Conn.
Groupon Inc. spokeswoman Julie Mossler said Tuesday that the move is based on the deals' performance as well as "current customer and merchant feedback." These, she says, have made it "clear they're not a fit right now."
The Chicago company declined to comment further and did not mention the Newtown shootings in its reasoning. There, 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother, 20 children and six educators at an elementary school before shooting himself.
The event has intensified the gun control debate in the U.S. and has led other companies, such as Dick's Sporting Goods, to scale back gun-related business activity, at least temporarily.