WMT Walmart Inc

By Sarah Nassauer, Austen Hufford and Zusha Elinson 

Walmart Inc. and Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. said they would no longer sell guns to anyone under 21 years old, as two of the country's biggest gun sellers tightened their policies in the wake of a high-school shooting that left 17 people dead in Parkland, Fla.

Both retailers said Wednesday they were making the change in light of the tragedy. "We take seriously our obligation to be a responsible seller of firearms," Walmart said in a statement.

Walmart, which sells rifles, shotguns and ammunition in thousands of its stores, had stopped sales of assault-style rifles in 2015. Earlier on Wednesday, Dick's said it would stop selling assault-style rifles at its Field & Stream chain, which has 35 locations.

Pittsburgh-based Dick's, which operates about 800 stores, had previously ended the sales of assault-style rifles at its flagship Dick's stores following the 2012 deadly elementary-school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Calls to ban high-capacity firearms and raise the minimum age to buy a firearm have been partly rekindled by students and survivors of the mass shooting in Florida. The policy changes come at a time that U.S. firearm sales have cooled.

Under current law, licensed gun dealers can sell a handgun to someone 21 years old and sell a rifle to someone who is 18. President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott have expressed support for raising the age limit for rifle sales, but the National Rifle Association has rejected any such move as a violation of the Second Amendment.

"We were so disturbed and saddened by what happened, we felt we really needed to do something," Dick's CEO Edward Stack told "Good Morning America" on Wednesday.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry association, said it was disappointed by Dick's decision and called on Congress to immediately pass legislation designed to improve background checks for gun purchases. The so-called FIX NICS bill has run into hurdles in Congress. The NRA, the most prominent gun-rights group, didn't respond to a request for comment.

Dick's disclosed Wednesday that it had sold a shotgun to accused Parkland, Fla., killer Nikolas Cruz in November, though it wasn't used in the shooting. The gunman used an AR-15 model rifle, which is a semiautomatic rifle that allows the user to fire rapidly and use high-capacity magazines. This month, police in Vermont also arrested and charged an 18-year-old who had allegedly bought a shotgun at Dick's and planned to attack a school.

The retailer also said Wednesday it would stop selling high-capacity magazines at all its stores and advocate for more stringent gun laws. The company will continue to sell rifles and shotguns. The changes took effect Wednesday.

There is no agreed-upon definition of an assault-style weapon in the U.S. Those arguing for stricter gun laws often point to military-style semiautomatic rifles that can be fitted with high-capacity magazines like the AR-15 model, which has been used in several mass shootings. The gun industry describes the AR-15 model and other semiautomatic rifles, such as AK-style weapons, as being modern sporting rifles.

Semiautomatic guns fire bullets as fast as the shooter can pull the trigger. More traditional hunting rifles generally don't use high-capacity magazines and some aren't semiautomatic. The bolt-action rifle, for instance, requires the shooter to manually move the bolt handle between each shot.

Retailers that still sell AR-15 models and similar weapons include Bass Pro Shops, which also owns the Cabela's outdoors chain, and Academy Sports and Outdoors.

"We are strongly committed to ensuring the legal, safe and responsible transfer of firearms," said a spokeswoman for Katy, Texas-based Academy, which has stores in 16 states. The retailer supports the background check bill now proposed in Congress, she said Wednesday.

Bass Pro Shops didn't respond to requests for comment.

Most firearms aren't sold at chain retailers, according to a foundation spokesman. Guns are often purchased at thousands of unaffiliated gun shops or at gun shows. The weapon allegedly used by Mr. Cruz was an AR-15 style weapon manufactured by Smith & Wesson and purchased at a small Florida gun dealer.

Around 12% of sales of this type of gun take place at chain retailers like Dick's and Cabela's, according to data compiled by Southwick Associates for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Mainstream retailers account for nearly 23% of long gun and handgun sales.

In an open letter, Dick's said it wanted politicians to enact into law the policies it has adopted.

Walmart Inc., the nation's largest retailer, stopped selling AR-15s and similar semiautomatic rifles in 2015. Instead, the retailer started carrying more shotguns and other hunting weapons, saying it was due to shifting demand. Walmart had faced pressure from a shareholder, New York's Trinity Wall Street Church.

Walmart doesn't sell assault-style guns, accessories or adapters and doesn't sell handguns except in Alaska, a spokesman said. The spokesman declined to say whether Walmart plans to change its age requirements.

Firearm sales, which surged in recent years amid concerns about possible restrictions being enacted under Democratic administrations, have been slumping since the election of Mr. Trump. One of the biggest U.S. firearms manufacturers, Remington Outdoor Co., recently filed for bankruptcy protection after facing "difficult industry conditions" and a lawsuit filed by families of victims in the Newtown shooting.

The company, whose many gun brands include Bushmaster as well as its namesake Remington, reported that sales for the first nine months of 2017 fell 27% from the same period in 2016.

One of its main U.S. rivals, American Outdoor Brands Corp., formerly called Smith & Wesson, reported sales of $148 million for the quarter ended Oct. 31, down 36% from a year earlier. Neither Remington nor American Outdoor immediately responded to requests for comment.

Write to Sarah Nassauer at sarah.nassauer@wsj.com, Austen Hufford at austen.hufford@wsj.com and Zusha Elinson at zusha.elinson@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 28, 2018 19:25 ET (00:25 GMT)

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