Walmart restricts sale of firearms, ammunition to people under 21

Chicago [U.S], March 1 (ANI): Walmart on Wednesday announced it will no longer sell firearms and ammunition to people younger than 21 of age.

A statement by Walmart also said it would also remove items resembling assault-style rifles from its website.

"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," CNN quoted a statement by the retailing corporation as saying.

The move comes a few hours after American sporting goods retailing corporation Dick's Sporting Goods announced that it would restrict the sale of firearms to those under 21 years old.

However, it didn't mention ammunition. Dick's also said it would immediately stop selling assault-style rifles, and its CEO took on the National Rifle Association by demanding tougher gun laws, reported the Chicago Tribune.

Walmart further said its decision came after the company reviewed its firearm sales policy in light of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people.

The accused teenage gunman had used an AR-15 rifle, to which Walmart said it takes "seriously our obligation to be a responsible seller of firearms" and also emphasized its background of serving "serving sportsmen and hunters."

Several major corporations, including MetLife, Hertz and Delta Air Lines, have also cut ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA) since the Florida tragedy, but none were retailers that sold guns.

The NRA has pushed back aggressively against calls for raising age limits for guns or restricting the sale of assault-style weapons.

Walmart Inc. stopped selling AR-15 guns and other semi-automatic weapons in 2015. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI