A 20-year-old man filed suits Monday against Dick's Sporting Goods and Walmart after they refused to sell him a rifle.
Tyler Watson, of Gold Hill, Oregon, claims he faced age discrimination from the retailers, according to Oregon Live.
Recommended Videos
Last week, Dick's and Walmart announced they would no longer sell guns to anyone under the age of 21. Kroger and L.L. Bean made similar changes to their gun policies last week. The new policies came in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, where a 19 year old is accused of killing 17 people with an AR-15.
Watson says he tried to buy a .22-caliber Ruger rifle on Feb. 24 from Field & Stream, a subsidiary of Dick's. He says the store refused to sell him the rifle. It was four days before the company announced the changes to their policy.
Watson says he then tried to buy a gun from Walmart on Saturday, and was told no.
RELATED: North Carolina Dick's Sporting Goods employee says he quit over new gun policy
Watson's attorney, Max Whittington, says the 20 year old is not part of an organized movement against retailers that have tightened policies on gun sales. “He was really just trying to buy a rifle,” the lawyer said.
Read Watson's lawsuits against Dick's and Walmart.
Oregon law allows residents to buy shotguns or rifles starting at age 18. Watson's lawsuit claims that the retailers' new gun policies violate statutes protecting residents against discrimination based on race, religion, sexual orientation or age, among other things.
Watson is asking judges to force the retailers “to stop unlawfully discriminating against 18, 19, and 20 year-old customers at all Oregon locations.” He is also asking for punitive damages and for his attorney’s fees to be paid.