Walmart officials announced their change in policy for firearm and ammunition sales on Wednesday after the announcement of DICK’s Sporting Goods new policy. Along with DICK’s Sporting Goods, they will be raising their age restriction on firearms and ammunition sales to those 21 years or older. Walmart officials said that this change in policy is due to the “recent events”, which have led them to review their policies. “We will update our processes as quickly as possible to implement this change,” Walmart officials said in a written statement.
They continued to explain that this policy change is part of their ongoing efforts to serve sportsmen and hunters while continuing to do so in a responsible way. These policy changes have included the end of sales of modern sporting rifles, which included 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.”
Walmart will continue to require their customers to pass a background check before purchasing a firearm. These requirements are part of Walmart policies and not a part of Federal laws required for the purchase of firearms. “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,” Walmart officials stated. Walmart also will be removing all items from their online sales which resemble “assault-style” rifles, these will include both toys and airsoft guns.
