Kroger stops selling guns to buyers under 21 at Fred Meyer stores
- Kroger's Fred Meyer stores will stop selling firearms to buyers under 21.
- Several other businesses are restricting sales in the wake of mass shootings.
Guns will no longer be sold to anyone under age 21 at Fred Meyer stores, grocery store chain Kroger told CNBC on Thursday.
The company is the latest to restrict sales of firearms in the wake of mass shootings, most recently in Parkland, Florida.
Walmart made a similar announcement on Wednesday. President Donald Trump has said he would support raising the federal minimum age for buying guns from 18 to 21, a move the National Rifle Association opposes.
Read the full statement below:
Kroger's vision is to serve America through food inspiration and uplift. In response to the tragic events in Parkland and elsewhere, we've taken a hard look at our policies and procedures for firearm sales.
We follow all state and local laws regulating the sales of sporting-related firearms at our select general-merchandise Fred Meyer stores.
Recent events demonstrate the need for additional action on the part of responsible gun retailers. We are raising the minimum age to 21 to purchase firearms and ammunition in all of our Fred Meyer locations that sell firearms. We stopped selling assault-style rifles in our Oregon, Washington and Idaho Fred Meyer stores several years ago and we will no longer accept any special-orders of these weapons in Alaska. Through Restock Kroger, we have a robust space optimization effort underway in many of our stores, including Fred Meyer locations. As we refresh stores we are often transitioning gun departments due to softer demand and changing customer preferences.
We believe these are common sense steps we can take immediately that are in line with our values and our vision."