Tyler Watson, 20, tried to purchase a rifle in Oregon and was denied due to his age.
In response, Watson filed a discrimination lawsuit.
Following the Parkland High School shooting last month, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart announced that they would no longer sell guns to anyone under the age of 21. Watson went into the store to buy a .22-caliber Ruger rifle Feb. 24, four days before those brands announced their policy change.
Watson is asking judges to force Dick’s and Walmart “to stop unlawfully discriminating against 18, 19, and 20 year-old customers at all Oregon locations.”
Federal and most state age discrimination law are usually applied to people over the age of 40, however, Oregon is one of the few states that does not follow the standard for the nation. Instead, Oregon’s discrimination law in regards to age and the selling of goods is applicable to anyone 18 and over according to John Donohue, a Stanford Law School professor.
Max Wittington, Watson’s lawyer, told the Oregonian, “He was really just trying to buy a rifle. He didn’t know about the policy.”