Walmart stopped selling firearms to individuals under 21 in 2018.
The company announced the policy change on February 28, 2018, raising its minimum purchase age for firearms and ammunition to 21. The decision followed a review of Walmart’s firearms policies after the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Walmart’s new rule applied even where federal law allowed some licensed dealers to sell rifles and shotguns to customers aged 18 to 20.
This change is often confused with Walmart’s other firearms decisions. In 2015, the retailer had already stopped selling military-style semiautomatic rifles such as AR-15-style guns, and it had stopped selling handguns in most locations much earlier. In 2019, after mass shootings in El Paso and Southaven, Walmart announced further reductions in ammunition sales, including handgun ammunition and ammunition for certain short-barreled rifles. The 2018 answer specifically identifies the age restriction, not those later product changes.