The superstore chain Walmart has changed its minimum age to purchase firearms and ammunition to 21.
It joined Dick's Sporting Goods stores, which made the same change Wednesday morning.
Walmart also pointed out that in 2015 it ended sales of certain sporting rifles like the AR-15. The company also said it doesn't sell accessories like bump stocks or high-capacity magazines.
It also said it is removing items resembling assault-style rifles like toys from its website.
The announcements came after a man used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to kill 17 students at a Florida high school earlier this month.
Walmart released the following statement:
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.
In 2015, Walmart ended sales of modern sporting rifles, including the AR-15. We also do not sell handguns, except in Alaska where we feel we should continue to offer them to our customers. Additionally, we do not sell bump stocks, high-capacity magazines and similar accessories. We have a process to monitor our eCommerce marketplace and ensure our policies are applied.
We take seriously our obligation to be a responsible seller of firearms and go beyond Federal law by requiring customers to pass a background check before purchasing any firearm. The law would allow the sale of a firearm if no response to a background check request has been received within three business days, but our policy prohibits the sale until an approval is given.
We are also removing items from our website resembling assault-style rifles, including nonlethal airsoft guns and toys. Our heritage as a company has always been in serving sportsmen and hunters, and we will continue to do so in a responsible way.
