Walmart confirmed on Thursday that stores received a memo instructing employees to take "immediate action" to remove displays containing "violent themes or aggressive behavior."
The memo also asks that employees check to make sure that violent movies aren't playing in the electronics department and hunting videos aren't shown in sporting goods. The move comes after deadly incidents at two Walmarts last week; 22 people were killed in a mass shooting at a store in El Paso, Texas, while two managers at a store in Southaven, Mississippi, were killed by a suspect described as a disgruntled former employee. On Thursday, police arrested a man who entered a Springfield, Missouri, Walmart wearing body armor and carrying two firearms.
"We've taken this action out of respect for the incidents of the past week, and this action does not reflect a long-term change in our video game assortment," spokesperson Tara House told USA Today in a statement. Walmart has said it will continue to sell guns in stores.
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