STROUDSBURG -- An independent sporting goods store in the Poconos has joined the list of businesses banning sales of semi-automatic rifles to those under 21.
In what the owner calls a personal decision, Dunkelberger's Sports Outfitters has banned the sale of those weapons to people under 21.
"I think that is very good. We have to start someplace. It's a start and I think that is very good," said Antoinette Dunn of Stroudsburg.
The change comes just a few weeks after the mass shooting at a school in Parkland, Florida.
The owner of the store did not want to talk on camera, but he did tell Newswatch 16 the decision was personal and a choice he made in light of recent events.
"We have had a lot of school shootings. I am a teacher and it really bothers me. I personally own a gun and I believe in the right to bear arms but I don't think we need assault rifles," Shane Mazzetti of Stroudsburg said.
Dunkelberger's joins the list of major retailers like Walmart and Dick's Sporting goods To ban the sale of these weapons to those under 21.
Mazzetti believes this is a step in the right direction.
"I think it is good that we are making moves without the government making moves. People need to take it upon themselves to change and make change."
While some people believe raising the age to buy a semi-automatic rifle to 21 is a good start, some others aren't as receptive.
"It's a tough subject. It really isn't about guns, it's about the human that has the gun. Can you really control that human being? It's not about the gun. It's about the person," said Matthew Gallagher of East Stroudsburg.
The new rule has been in place at Dunkelberger's for almost two weeks.