Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart Face Gun-Age Lawsuits

Mere days after a few big retailers announced they were raising the age for the purchase of rifles, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart are among businesses that will have to defend their decision in court. Already, young adults in Oregon and Michigan have filed suit to protect their Second Amendment right.

Walmart and Dick’s both announced on Feb. 28 that they would act independently to curtail the sale of guns. After a 19-year-old madman went on a killing spree at a Florida school, the retailers caved to public calls for raising the age restriction for the purchase of any gun, including shotguns and bolt-action rifles.

It didn’t take long for an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old to file lawsuits alleging age discrimination.

Tristin Fulton, 18, from Michigan, can vote, drive and be called to serve his country. He’s also the son of a man who owns a gun store. So it makes sense that he would be one of the first to sue. His argument, after he tried to buy a shotgun, was simple. “I’m 18. I’m legally allowed to purchase a firearm, and I should have been allowed to.” The lawsuit cites a violation of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.

His decision to sue came just days after 20-year-old Tyler Watson, of Oregon, filed two lawsuits—one in each of two counties—after his effort to buy a .22-cal. long gun was rebuffed.