NRA: ‘Shameful’ Walmart Caving to ‘Pressure of Anti-Gun Elites’

Update - September 4, 2019:

• The National Rifle Association is attacking Walmart over the retailer's decision to stop selling ammunition for assault-style rifles and handguns.

• Walmart on Tuesday also said it plans on asking customers not to openly carry guns in its 4,700 U.S. locations. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told reporters Tuesday that the company "will treat law-abiding customers with respect, and we will have a very non-confrontational approach."

"Our remaining assortment will be even more focused on the needs of hunting and sport shooting enthusiasts," McMillon said.

Countable's original story appears below.

What’s the story?

• Walmart, the country’s largest retailer, announced Tuesday that it will stop selling handgun ammunition and ammunition used in assault-style weapons after selling off its current inventory. The company will also request that customers no longer openly carry guns in its 4,700 U.S. locations or its Sam's Club stores.
• Walmart will continue to sell rifles, shotguns, and the ammunition for those firearms.
• Recent shootings at Walmarts in El Paso, Texas, and Southaven, Mississippi, killed 24 people. In response to those shootings, Walmart last month removed displays of violent video games from its stores.

What are people saying?

"It's clear to us that the status quo is unacceptable," Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a memo to employees on Tuesday.

• Dan Bartlett, Walmart executive vice president of corporate affairs, said on a call with reporters that the upcoming policy shift strikes “a responsible balance between the interests of law-abiding citizens who are exercising their legal rights and the safety concerns of our associates and customers.”
• Walmart is also encouraging Congress to "move forward and strengthen background checks to remove weapons from those who have been determined to pose an imminent danger."

What do you think?

Do you support Walmart’s decision to stop selling handgun ammunition and ban open-carry? Will it affect whether you shop at the retailer? Should Congress act? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: Walmart)