Following in the footsteps of Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods, another company has stated it will no longer sell firearms and ammunition, of any kind, to people under the age of 21.
Kroger, a grocery chain, announced the changes for its Fred Meyer stores on Thursday. Here’s more from CNN:
Kroger, the nation’s largest grocery chain, said it will stop selling guns and ammunition to customers who are younger than 21 years old. It’s the third major retailer in two days to impose new age restrictions on sales.
Kroger (KR) sells weapons and ammunition at 45 Fred Meyer stores located in four western states. Those stores sell general merchandise. The Kroger grocery stores do not sell weapons.
It is already illegal for licensed gun sellers to sell handguns to anyone under the age of 21, but it is legal under federal law to sell rifles of any kind — including assault-style — to anyone 18 or older.
The company joins Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS), the nation’s largest sporting goods retailer, and Walmart (WMT), the nation’s largest retailer, which both said Wednesday that they would stop selling weapons and ammunition of any kind to anyone under 21. Dick’s also said it would stop selling assault-style weapons. Walmart stopped selling those kinds of weapons in 2015.
Under federal law, it is legal for an 18-year-old to purchase a semi-automatic rifle if they pass a background check.
The move by the companies falls in line with an idea now before Congress that the minimum age to buy any firearm, including long guns, should be 21. Raising the legal age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle entered the gun control debate after authorities revealed that the Parkland, Florida shooter is only 19 years old. During CNN’s town hall on gun control with victims from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) supported the idea. President Trump also voiced his support for raising the legal age, despite pushback from the National Rifle Association (NRA).
I will be strongly pushing Comprehensive Background Checks with an emphasis on Mental Health. Raise age to 21 and end sale of Bump Stocks! Congress is in a mood to finally do something on this issue – I hope!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2018
The list of companies announcing that they will be ending their partnerships with the NRA or will no longer be selling certain firearms or firearm products in their stores continues to grow. Second Amendment supporters are speaking out against the move by these businesses, who are already seeing steep declines in their favorability.
POLITICO/Morning Consult: “All companies who cut business ties with the NRA last week saw their public opinion decline this week.” Cc: @united pic.twitter.com/W3XrWgMm7s
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) February 28, 2018
As the gun control debate continues, it won’t be surprising if more and more companies follow the lead of the others.
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