L.L. Bean joins Kroger, Walmart in raising minimum age for gun sales

People put flowers among other mementoes at the fence of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, after the police security perimeter was removed, following a mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, U.S., February 18, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

(Reuters) – Outdoor gear maker L.L. Bean will raise the minimum age for purchasers of guns to 21 from 18, joining a list of retailers putting restrictions on firearm sales following a mass shooting at a Florida high school last month.

“In the wake of this shooting we have reviewed our policy on firearm sales, and we will no longer be selling guns or ammunition to anyone under the age of 21,” L.L. Bean said in a tweet on Thursday.

The company said it sold firearms only at its flagship store in Maine and those guns only focused on hunting.

It does not sell assault-style firearms, high-capacity firearms, bump stocks or handguns, L.L. Bean tweeted on Friday.

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

(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)