Walmart Follows Suit With Dick’s Sporting Goods
After the announcement that Dick's Sporting Goods will no longer sell assault rifles and raise the gun-buying age to 21, Walmart says they will raise the age at their stores too.
In a statement on Walmart.com, the company says after recent events like the Parkland shooting in Florida, they have reviewed their policies and decided to make the move nationwide.
That means that you will now have to be 21 or older to buy any firearm or ammunition.
In 2015, Walmart stopped selling assault rifles, extended magazines and bump stocks.
Walmart says they will also alter their background check policy:
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.
They have also made the decision to remove any items on their website that resembles assault-style rifles, including Airsoft brand guns and toys.
Here is Walmart's full statement on the move from Walmart.com:
"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."