Company Contrast: Vista Outdoor

Each week 2ndVote takes a look at popular companies that either score well or score poorly. We then provide alternatives that either better align with the 2ndVote values, or that should be avoided to the best of your ability. This weekly series is called The Company Contrast, and the company we will be focusing on this week is Vista Outdoor, Inc (3.49).

Vista Outdoor, Inc started as an ammunition manufacturer ATK in the early 2000’s. After many years of serving hunters, civilians, and law enforcement ATK spun off the ammunition and outdoor business into Vista Outdoor in 2014. Vista Outdoor today is a huge holdings company that owns some of recreational shooters favorite brands. CCI, Federal Ammunition, Speer, and many more brands are owned by Vista. Starting in 2016 Vista started acquiring all manner of sports and outdoor equipment manufacturers. These brands produce everything from camp stoves to GPS systems. Vista has an unsurprisingly good score for their support of the second amendment, but also practices sensible environmental stewardship. They also partner with the salvation army which is Christian and pro-life organization. Hop on over to https://vistaoutdoor.com/brands/ and see if their brands have what you need for your next trip into the great outdoors.

REI (2.01) is both a used outdoors equipment market and an online shop for gear. REI started as an outdoor enthusiasts co-op in 1938. The company has shifted more focus on family camping and outdoor wear in the years since the founders were just trading climbing equipment. REI has received a low score in Life, 2nd Amendment, and Environment due to support for policies like cap-and-trade. REI also ended a business relationship with a supplier due to that company’s ties with the NRA. Since this company leans to the liberal side on several important conservative issues, it might be a good idea to look at different marketplaces for used gear. There is also a huge variety of conservative companies that make new equipment for adventures in the outdoors. New or used, there’s plenty of higher scoring brands that deserve your hard earned money.

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