Walmart Joins Dick's In Raising Age Of Who It'll Sell Firearms To

FILE - In this June 5, 2017, file photo, a worker stacks merchandise outside a Walmart in Salem, N.H. Walmart is boosting its starting salary for U.S. workers to $11 an hour, giving a one-time $1,000 cash bonus to eligible employees and expanding its maternity and parental leave benefits. The retailer said Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, changes to its compensation and benefits policy will impact more than a million hourly workers in the U.S., with the wage increase effective next month. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

Yesterday, we reported that Dick’s Sporting Goods had decided to no longer sell any firearms or so-called “high capacity magazines” to anyone under the age of 21, regardless of the laws on the subject. In this era of everyone trying to beat on the NRA, such things are to be expected, though not necessarily to be approved of.

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However, Dick’s isn’t alone in this matter. Walmart is doing the same thing.

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.

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So, Walmart is going to serve sportsmen and hunters by caving in to the very groups who would like to see them disarmed? Classy.

However, Walmart may be potentially opening itself up to age discrimination lawsuits for its policy. As I noted with Dick’s, if a bakery can be forced to bake a cake for a gay wedding, regardless of the baker’s personal beliefs, then surely a store can be blocked from discriminating against someone because they’re younger than the store would like.

After all, the law currently allows long guns to be sold to qualified people over the age of 18. Unless that law changes, these companies are clearly signaling their intention to discriminate based on age. Since employers can’t fire or refuse to hire someone due to their age, I can’t see how a store should be permitted to refuse service to someone who is otherwise legally allowed to purchase that product simply because they’re under the age of 21.

Now, personally, I don’t care. I think companies should be free to do business with whomever they want. However, the anti-gunners’ allies started this, so it would only be sweet, sweet justice to see this same argument turned against them.

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What I can say is that this is probably not a savvy business move by Walmart, especially since it’s also pulling toys and airsoft guns that simply look “evil.”

I hate to break it to the retail giant, but the leftists will never like it, no matter what it does regarding guns.

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