Walmart says it will raise age for purchase of ammunition and firearms to 21

A Walmart store.
(Image credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Walmart announced Wednesday that in light of the recent mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead, it is raising the minimum age for purchase of firearms and ammunition to 21.

In a statement, the company said the change would be implemented "as quickly as possible," and also promised to remove items from the Walmart website that look like assault-style rifles, including toys and nonlethal airsoft guns. In 2015, Walmart stopped selling rifles like the AR-15, which was used in the Florida shooting. "Our heritage as a company has always been in serving sportsmen and hunters, and we will continue to do so in a responsible way," the company said.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.