Due to America's mass shooting epidemic, Walmart announced it will make a dramatic adjustment to its gun sales and firearm policies.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon revealed the company will discontinue the sale of handgun ammunition and short-barrel rifle ammunition—which is commonly used in military-style weapons—at all of its stores. Walmart will also cease the sale of all handgun sales in the state of Alaska. In addition to this move, the company is asking that customers no longer bring their firearms into Walmart and Sam's Club establishments that are in "open carry" states unless they are authorized law enforcement agents.
Walmart's decision was sparked by the shootings that took place in its stores this summer. In late July, a disgruntled employee, Martez Tarrell Abram, opened fired in the Southaven, Mississippi Walmart. Abram's attack killed two co-workers and wounded an officer. In early August, Patrick Crusius shot and killed 22 people during a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. The combination of 22 deaths and 26 injuries made the shooting the deadliest of 2019.
"After visiting El Paso on Aug. 6, I mentioned that we would be thoughtful and deliberate in our responses," McMillon said. "We know these decisions will inconvenience some of our customers, and we hope they will understand. As a company, we experienced two horrific events in one week, and we will never be the same. Our remaining assortment will be even more focused on the needs of hunting and sport shooting enthusiasts."
This is the first step in Walmart's plan to wean itself off gun sales. "We believe these actions will reduce our market share of ammunition from around 20 percent to a range of approximately 6 to 9 percent," the statement continues. "We believe it will likely drift toward the lower end of that range, over time, given the combination of these changes."
