Walmart announced Wednesday it would no longer sell firearms or ammo to people under the age of 21, following an earlier decision by Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Companies have been cutting ties with the NRA and making it harder for customers to purchase firearms since the school shooting in Parkland, Florida two weeks ago. Dick’s Sporting Goods said earlier Wednesday that it would no longer sell AR-15s in their field & stream stores, would stop selling high-capacity magazines and would raise the minimum firearm purchase age to 21. (RELATED: Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Decision To Halt Sales Of AR-15s Is Not As Big A Deal As It Sounds)
Walmart has not sold AR-15s in any of its stores since 2015, although it denied at the time that the company’s decision had anything to do with the weapon’s use in mass shootings. Apparently eager to follow up Dick’s Sporting Goods’ announcement, Walmart said on Wednesday that they would also raise their minimum firearm and ammo purchase age to 21.
“In light of recent events, we’ve taken an opportunity to review our policy on firearm sales. Going forward, we are raising the age restriction for purchase of firearms and ammunition to 21 years of age. We will update our processes as quickly as possible to implement this change,” Walmart said in a statement, also noting that they had stopped sales of the AR-15 years ago.
Additionally, Walmart said it will stop selling products online that resemble assault rifles, including air rifles and toy guns.
“We are also removing items from our website resembling assault-style rifles, including nonlethal airsoft guns and toys,” the company stated. “Our heritage as a company has always been in serving sportsmen and hunters, and we will continue to do so in a responsible way.”