Kroger joins Walmart, Dick's, raises minimum age for gun buyers to 21

By Lisa Baertlein

 

A logo of Kroger is displayed on a monitor above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shortly after the opening bell in New York, U.S., December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

 

(Reuters) - Kroger Co said on Thursday it will stop selling firearms and ammunition to buyers under the age of 21 at its Fred Meyer stores, becoming the third major U.S. retailer to set restrictions that are tougher than government regulations.

 

The announcement follows similar moves by Walmart Inc and Dick's Sporting Goods Inc on Wednesday, two weeks after social media-savvy students ignited an intense debate on gun control in the United States following a deadly shooting spree at their Florida high school.

 

"Recent events demonstrate the need for additional action on the part of responsible gun retailers," Kroger said in an email.

 

Kroger operates 133 Fred Meyer stores in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. It sells firearms in 43 of those stores.

 

The company will also stop selling assault-style rifles in Alaska. It ceased such sales in its Fred Meyer stores in Oregon, Washington and Idaho several years ago.

 

"We made the decision (Wednesday) that we will no longer sell assault-style rifles in Alaska nor accept any special orders of these weapons in this market," a Kroger spokeswoman said.

 

Fourteen students and three adults were killed in Florida on Feb. 14 after being shot with a semi-automatic AR-15-style assault rifle.

 

Authorities have said the weapon was purchased legally last year by the accused gunman, Nikolas Cruz, when he was 18 years old.

 

Federal firearms law allows people aged 18 and older to buy "long guns," including shotguns and rifles, and associated ammunition from licensed firearm dealers. The law restricts dealer sales of other guns, including handguns like pistols, and related ammunition to people who are 21 and older.

 

The National Rifle Association, which represents gunmakers and gun owners, opposes raising the minimum age for purchases of rifles or "long guns."

 

Gun control supporters have other retailers in their sights.

 

An online petition calling for Academy Sports and Outdoors, based in Katy, Texas, to halt assault rifle sales had almost 8,000 signatures on Change.org by Thursday afternoon.

 

Representatives from Academy Sports did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

New online petitions also target Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's, which together operate roughly 200 stores. Bass Pro, which bought Cabela's in September, did not immediately comment.

 

Walmart stopped selling assault firearms and accessories in 2015 and only sells handguns in Alaska. Dick's said on Wednesday it would stop selling assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines.

 

(Additional reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-02

Ok, they are saying you have to be 21 to buy a gun.  BUT, at 18 you can join the military, be handed a gun, taught how to use it, and possibly placed in situations where people are shooting at you and trying to kill you, while you do the same.  

 

Something is seriously wrong with this picture.  

 

 

9 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

Ok, they are saying you have to be 21 to buy a gun.  BUT, at 18 you can join the military, be handed a gun, taught how to use it, and possibly placed in situations where people are shooting at you and trying to kill you, while you do the same.  

 

Something is seriously wrong with this picture.  

 

 

No one is forced to join the military.   The US does not have conscription.   So, if you are 18 and want a gun, feel free to join up.   

 

Nothing wrong with the picture whatsoever.   

5 minutes ago, Credo said:

No one is forced to join the military.   The US does not have conscription.   So, if you are 18 and want a gun, feel free to join up.   

 

Nothing wrong with the picture whatsoever.   

And that's what I did at 18, turning down 5 full scholarships, and spent the next 20 years as a Marine.  Also picked up my Bachelor and Master along degrees along the way.  But I think you may be missing my point.  At 18 you can fight and die for America, but as a civilian, you can't buy a gun till you're 21.  

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Kroger joins Walmart, Dick's, raises minimum age for gun buyers to 21

Congratulations to the writer for managing to win the bet on getting Dicks and raises in the same headline

1 hour ago, Just1Voice said:

And that's what I did at 18, turning down 5 full scholarships, and spent the next 20 years as a Marine.  Also picked up my Bachelor and Master along degrees along the way.  But I think you may be missing my point.  At 18 you can fight and die for America, but as a civilian, you can't buy a gun till you're 21.  

Thanks for your service. In your original post you mention being trained how to use a gun. That is not required under current law. Correct me if I am wrong, but does the military allow you to pack a gun around any time you want? Let you have one after drinking, drug use, etc? A major feature of military is discipline, which makes sense as you are dealing with lethal weapons. Not required in the least for those 18 yr olds who decide they want to play Rambo

2 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

And that's what I did at 18, turning down 5 full scholarships, and spent the next 20 years as a Marine.  Also picked up my Bachelor and Master along degrees along the way.  But I think you may be missing my point.  At 18 you can fight and die for America, but as a civilian, you can't buy a gun till you're 21.  

A far better comparison is that currently you can buy a gun at 18 , but not an alcoholic drink in a bar.

That's the way it should be done.  Allow the market to dictate the rules.  I don't see a problem with that at all.

20 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

And that's what I did at 18, turning down 5 full scholarships, and spent the next 20 years as a Marine.  Also picked up my Bachelor and Master along degrees along the way.  But I think you may be missing my point.  At 18 you can fight and die for America, but as a civilian, you can't buy a gun till you're 21.  

 

Why as a civilian do you need a gun?

Robbing gas stations and liquor stores?

More stupid gun control signaling that will accomplish absolutely nothing.

Edited March 3, 20188 yr by sukhumvitneon

40 minutes ago, sukhumvitneon said:

More stupid gun control signaling that will accomplish absolutely nothing.

Maybe not nothing, but certainly the federal government should pass much more aggressive gun control legislatively. 

On 3/2/2018 at 12:09 PM, Just1Voice said:

Ok, they are saying you have to be 21 to buy a gun.  BUT, at 18 you can join the military, be handed a gun, taught how to use it, and possibly placed in situations where people are shooting at you and trying to kill you, while you do the same.  

 

Something is seriously wrong with this picture.  

 

 

If legal in their state, they can shop elsewhere.

Sorry but IMHO one should be 70+ to buy fire arms and must be accompanied by all 4 grand parents. 

Funny how this 18 to 21 split gets altered over time.

The state where I grew up had 18 as the age to purchase alcohol, now it is 21.

Voting age was 21 while draft age was 18, now both are 18.

No age restriction on buying cigarettes when I was a kid, but now there is.

Legal weed in Oregon, but the age for purchase and use is 21.

 

Time to change age a sexual consent to 17.

 

 

 

On 3/3/2018 at 11:50 AM, Jingthing said:

If legal in their state, they can shop elsewhere.

You should be supporting a local FFL in any event.

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 7:58 PM, connda said:

That's the way it should be done.  Allow the market to dictate the rules.  I don't see a problem with that at all.

I agree that civilians should not be allowed to buy guns till 21, and passing a training and safety course should be mandatory, as well as a proper background check and not having any mental heath issues or criminal record.

IMO under 21's are just too immature to own weapons ( and IMO to vote or drink alcohol ). That's not to say that many over 21's are any more mature, but that used to be the legal voting age, and seems to be a reasonable point at which to label someone an adult, rather than a youth.

 

HOWEVER, it will make ZERO difference to youths carrying out gun crimes- none at all; as unless it's made illegal for under 21's to use a weapon, they will be able to borrow them, or just take their parent's weapons.

 

The current fad by businesses jumping on the trendy bandwagon so as not to lose sales is in the long run pointless, as it will, IMO, make no difference at all.

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 12:09 PM, Just1Voice said:

Ok, they are saying you have to be 21 to buy a gun.  BUT, at 18 you can join the military, be handed a gun, taught how to use it, and possibly placed in situations where people are shooting at you and trying to kill you, while you do the same.  

 

Something is seriously wrong with this picture.  

 

 

In the military the use of weapons is strictly controlled, and used while under the command of NCOs and officers.

While training, safety is always a priority.

I don't think any soldier can just wander off base while heavily armed and go shoot up places because they are PO.

 

I'd feel safer if I knew that criminals weren't able to obtain illegal weapons, but as we all know, for criminals, obtaining weapons is no problem at any age.

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 8:57 AM, bandito said:

 

Why as a civilian do you need a gun?

Robbing gas stations and liquor stores?

55555555555555

Try getting rid of rabbits on a farm without a gun.

Many civilians use them for pest control.

Troll posts removed. 

 

On 3/2/2018 at 12:27 AM, Just1Voice said:

And that's what I did at 18, turning down 5 full scholarships, and spent the next 20 years as a Marine.  Also picked up my Bachelor and Master along degrees along the way.  But I think you may be missing my point.  At 18 you can fight and die for America, but as a civilian, you can't buy a gun till you're 21.  

Ooh Rah!  My son had a scholarship and joined the USMC delayed entry program when he was 18. So he was a reservist until he got called up two years later.  He was 20 when he was killed in Iraq.  He did love firearms (and explosives -  1371 Combat Engineer). I gave him my MAK-90 rifle when he turned 18.

 

 

 

On 3/2/2018 at 12:19 AM, Credo said:

No one is forced to join the military.   The US does not have conscription.   So, if you are 18 and want a gun, feel free to join up.   

 

 

Wrong.  Ever heard of Selective Service?  Up to 5 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for failing to register for able bodied males ages 18-25.  True, young men aren't forced to join on the spot right now.  Just because there isn't a draft currently does not necessarily mean there could be one in the future.

 

Also, you do understand that there's two US Supreme Court Decisions that one has the right to purchase/possess firearms that is unconnected with militia service (i.e US armed forces) right?

Edited March 24, 20188 yr by sukhumvitneon

1 hour ago, sukhumvitneon said:

Wrong.  Ever heard of Selective Service?  Up to 5 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for failing to register for able bodied males ages 18-25.  True, young men aren't forced to join on the spot right now.  Just because there isn't a draft currently does not necessarily mean there could be one in the future.

 

Also, you do understand that there's two US Supreme Court Decisions that one has the right to purchase/possess firearms that is unconnected with militia service (i.e US armed forces) right?

I think you will find that any country will conscript it's citizens in the event it has to. That's not just a US thing.

9 hours ago, sukhumvitneon said:

Wrong.  Ever heard of Selective Service?  Up to 5 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for failing to register for able bodied males ages 18-25.  True, young men aren't forced to join on the spot right now.  Just because there isn't a draft currently does not necessarily mean there could be one in the future.

 

Also, you do understand that there's two US Supreme Court Decisions that one has the right to purchase/possess firearms that is unconnected with militia service (i.e US armed forces) right?

Having to register for the selective service?   Nice deflection.   There is no draft.   

1 hour ago, Credo said:

Having to register for the selective service?   Nice deflection.   There is no draft.   

No draft but there still is selective service registration --

 

https://www.thebalance.com/all-about-the-draft-3332963

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

No draft but there still is selective service registration --

 

https://www.thebalance.com/all-about-the-draft-3332963

I am quite well aware that there is selective service registration.   It has nothing to do with who sells guns and is nothing more than a deflection.   

 

Only young men have to register.   So does that mean, to those who are trying to make some equivalency to gun ownership, that females shouldn't own guns?

 

These mass shooters just need to get laid.

They all are lot of nerds and geeks.

10 minutes ago, HLover said:

These mass shooters just need to get laid.

They all are lot of nerds and geeks.

Most gun deaths are not mass shootings.

On 3/24/2018 at 10:31 AM, Credo said:

Having to register for the selective service?   Nice deflection.   There is no draft.   

You said "no one is forced to join the military" and "America doesn't have a draft" when neither of these things are true.  They just aren't active right now.  Why does Selective Service exist? 

 

Still waiting on why you think men under 21 shouldn't be able to purchase a firearm, a prohibition that is stupid and does absolutely nothing for public safety, despite the fact it flies in the face of the 2A and two SCOTUS decisions.  Before you start talking about state laws, the NY sullivan act, MA handgun licensing, HI gun registration, and IL FOID act among others are all unconstitutional, they just haven't been challenged in court yet.

 

As for your other post about women shouldn't be able to own firearms under a certain age, I feel women should be compelled to register under Selective Service or have certain rights denied.  Women want equal rights, fair enough, but with those rights come responsibilities.

Edited March 26, 20188 yr by sukhumvitneon

19 minutes ago, sukhumvitneon said:

You said "no one is forced to join the military" and "America doesn't have a draft" when neither of these things are true.  They just aren't active right now.  Why does Selective Service exist? 

 

Still waiting on why you think men under 21 shouldn't be able to purchase a firearm, a prohibition that is stupid and does absolutely nothing for public safety, despite the fact it flies in the face of the 2A and two SCOTUS decisions.  Before you start talking about state laws, the NY sullivan act, MA handgun licensing, HI gun registration, and IL FOID act among others are all unconstitutional, they just haven't been challenged in court yet.

 

As for your other post about women shouldn't be able to own firearms under a certain age, I feel women should be compelled to register under Selective Service or have certain rights denied.  Women want equal rights, fair enough, but with those rights come responsibilities.

Please stop posting LIES.

The USA does not have a draft. That is a FACT.

People are NOT forced to join the military in the U.S. That is a FACT.

I don't know what your game is trying to spread obviously and verifiably FAKE information, but it is NOT OK. 

27 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Please stop posting LIES.

The USA does not have a draft. That is a FACT.

People are NOT forced to join the military in the U.S. That is a FACT.

I don't know what your game is trying to spread obviously and verifiably FAKE information, but it is NOT OK. 

"People are not forced to join the military in the U.S" is a  true statement at the moment, yes.  But to say that the U.S doesn't have conscription or a draft, as user Credo said, is dishonest.  Why does Selective Service exist?  Theoretically, it could be activated tomorrow, which is the point I'm making about the idea of banning gun sales to people age 18-20.

Edited March 26, 20188 yr by sukhumvitneon