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Walmart Announces Increase in Age Limits for Firearms and Ammunition Purchases

Certain airsoft guns and toys will also be removed from stores.

Retail giant Walmart is the latest chain to revise their firearms policy in the wake of America's latest high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and increased calls for gun control.

On Wednesday the company announced they're raising the age limit for all firearms and ammunition purchases to 21 years old.

"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," a press release states. "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."

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The news comes right on the heels of Dick's Sporting Goods announcing a similar revision to minimum age limits and a halt on selling AR-style semi-automatic rifles.

Interestingly enough, Walmart's new policy will also eliminate the sales of products even resembling AR-15s.

"We're 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," the press release said.

There was some internet chatter this week asking for Walmart to stop selling AR-15s and similar semi-auto rifles. However, the company already phased out those and other semi-automatic sporting rifles back in 2015.

At the time, they said it had nothing to do with gun violence, but rather was a response to a decline in consumer demand.

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