But Cerberus is not the only one. Wal-Mart pulled the .223-calibre Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle from its Web site Monday, reportedly about the same time a story in the Nation about Wal-Mart’s role in selling guns was to be published. Dick’s Sporting Goods pulled all guns from the shelves of its store closest to Newtown, Conn., and is suspending the sale of certain semiautomatic weapons from its stores nationally. It is not clear how long the suspension will last.

The decisions may be nothing more than public relations moves. Who wants to be associated with selling the same gun that massacred small children? These were likely not hard decisions for the business leaders who made them. Pulling guns from your shelves or your Web site may hurt sales temporarily, but being identified in any way with a rampage this scarring to the national conscience puts the right answer in stark relief.

What will be a much more difficult call for these managers is what to do once the story recedes in the minds of Americans and fails to occupy the headlines on a daily basis. Will Dick’s or Wal-Mart add back the guns to their shelves and their sites if regulations on assault weapons don’t change? Will either store choose to further toughen its own gun policies? And what will Cerberus do the next time it has an opportunity to buy up a gun company at a rock-bottom price?

Leadership on this issue isn’t just about what people in charge do in the wake of a tragedy. It’s about the decisions company leaders make for years to come, long after the spotlight is gone.

Jena McGregor is a columnist for the Washington Post’s On Leadership section.

More from On Leadership:

What does leadership really look like after Sandy Hook?

The best and worst places to work in government

Does it pay to know your Myers-Briggs type?

Like On Leadership? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter:

@post_lead | @jenamcgregor | @lily_cunningham