Kroger bans gun sales to buyers under 21 at Fred Meyer stores

Kroger is raising the minimum age to buy guns at its Fred Meyer stores, the third major retailer to place restrictions on gun sales that exceed federal law.

Fred Meyer sells guns at 44 stores in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska; two stores in Spokane aren’t among them. Assault-style guns sales were ended everywhere but Alaska several years ago. Special orders for those guns are now unavailable in Alaska. Like Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods a day earlier, Kroger says it will immediately limit gun and ammunition sales to people 21 and older.

The nation’s largest grocery chain said Thursday that recent events show that gun retailers need to take action.

Students returned this week to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida for the first time since a troubled teenager killed 17 people there, mostly children.