Walmart Violates Non-Discrimination Laws For Denying Woman a Rifle

Eric Scheiner | August 29, 2018
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Hannah Brumbles tried to buy her first firearm at a Walmart in Oregon when she turned 18 and could legally exercise her Second Amendment right, but the store refused, because she wasn’t 21. 

Brumbles filed an age-discrimination compliant to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, who found last week that the Walmart store in St. Helens violated the state's nondiscrimination laws when they refused to sell because Oregon law says individuals over 18 may legally purchase firearms. 

Now, according to Wilamette Week, Brumbles wants the same settlement that an Oregon baker was fined for refusing to bake a gay wedding cake, and that’s $135,000. 

Her father says he wanted the same fine that was levied against a Gresham bakery that refused to sell a wedding cake to a lesbian couple.

"Discrimination is discrimination," says Chris Brumbles, Hannah's father.

But Walmart's representatives laughed at the $135,000 proposal, he says. They allegedly offered Hannah Brumbles $150 and asked her to sign a 'gag order.'

Walmart plans to fight the decision in court, a company spokesman told Willamette Week:

In February of this year, we reviewed our policy on firearm and ammunition sales and as a result, we raised the age restriction for the purchase of those items to 21. We stand behind our decision and plan to defend it. 

State lawmakers are now getting into the act and may raise the minimum age to buy a firearm, or slice a piece of the state's cake of nondiscrimination laws, and make an exemption for stores that sell guns. 

Oregon state lawmakers could move to address the issue as soon as next year.

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