Walmart halts ammunition sales for handguns, short-barrel rifles

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

published 3 September 2019

Walmart is taking action after two of its stores saw mass shootings in August.

The chain of stores will stop selling ammunition for handguns and short-barrel rifles, CEO Doug McMillon announced Tuesday. The now-banned types of ammunition can be used for hunting and military-style weapons. McMillon also asked customers to stop openly carrying firearms in its stores, and said Walmart will stop selling handguns in Alaska — the only state where the weapons were still sold.

"We know these decisions will inconvenience some of our customers," McMillon said, but added that "it's clear to us that the status quo is unacceptable." In early August, 22 people were killed in a shooting an El Paso Walmart. A "disgruntled employee" killed two workers at a Mississippi store four days earlier. Right after the El Paso shooting, Walmart took down video game and movie displays that contained "violent themes or aggressive behavior."

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.