Walmart CEO Doug McMillon now vaguely backs a national debate around an assault weapons ban

The CEO of Walmart says reauthorizing an assault weapons ban should be "debated" as the company faces calls to stop selling firearms following recent deadly mass shootings.
CEO Doug McMillon said Thursday while delivering the company's earnings report that "we're encouraged that broad support is emerging to strengthen background checks and to remove weapons from those who have been determined to pose an imminent danger," CNBC reports. He also said that "reauthorization of the assault weapons ban should be debated to determine its effectiveness in keeping weapons made for war out of the hands of mass murderers."
A Walmart was the site of the deadly mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, that left 22 people dead earlier this month. In the aftermath of this tragedy, as well as a second mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, shortly after and a previous shooting at a Walmart in July, the company has been under pressure to cease weapons sales, with Democratic candidates for president weighing in.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The weapons they sell are killing their own customers and employees,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) recently said. "No profit is worth those lives."
With mentions of support for strengthening background check legislation and a potential push for an assault weapons ban reinstatement, this was the most forceful statement Walmart has delivered amid this mounting pressure, with McMillon simply saying last week that it would be "thoughtful and deliberate in our responses," The Wall Street Journal reports. CNN writes the company "could give Congress fresh incentive to act."
McMillon did not mention any specific policy changes on Thursday, but he did say that steps will be taken to "strengthen our processes, improve our technology, and create an even safer environment in our stores." According to McMillon, Walmart sells about 2 percent of the United States' firearms, and about 20 percent of its ammunition. It stopped selling assault weapons itself in 2015.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Music reviews: Chance the Rapper, Cass McCombs, and Molly Tuttle
Feature "Star Line," "Interior Live Oak," and "So Long Little Miss Sunshine"
-
Film reviews: Eden and Honey Don't!
Feature Seekers of a new utopia spiral into savagery and a queer private eye prowls a high-desert town
-
Critics' choice: Three chefs fulfilling their ambitions
Feature Kwame Onwuachi's grand second act, Travis Lett makes a comeback, and Jeff Watson's new Korean restaurant
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year