Walmart announced it will reduce its gun and ammunition sales, the company said Tuesday.
The move comes about one month after more than 20 people were killed in a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. Walmart also pressured U.S. Congress to enact gun safety measures.
"It’s clear to us that the status quo is unacceptable," Walmart said in a statement.
The company outlined its next steps in the statement, which are as follows:
- After selling through their current inventory commitments, Walmart will discontinue sales of short-barrel rifle ammunition such as the .223 caliber and 5.56 caliber that, while commonly used in some hunting rifles, can also be used in large capacity clips on military-style weapons;
- Walmart will sell through and discontinue handgun ammunition; and
- Walmart will discontinue handgun sales in Alaska, marking their complete exit from handguns.
The company is also asking people to not openly carry guns in their stores, including Sam's Clubs locations, even if the person is in an open-carry state.
"As it relates to safety in our stores, there have been multiple incidents since El Paso where individuals attempting to make a statement and test our response have entered our stores carrying weapons in a way that frightened or concerned our associates and customers," the statement says. "We have also had well-intentioned customers acting lawfully that have inadvertently caused a store to be evacuated and local law enforcement to be called to respond. These incidents are concerning and we would like to avoid them, so we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer openly carry firearms into our stores or Sam’s Clubs in states where 'open carry' is permitted – unless they are authorized law enforcement officers."
