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Walmart Changes Course, Will Keep Guns And Ammo On Shelves

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Adam Barnes General Assignment Reporter
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Walmart announced Friday it is changing its decision to remove guns and ammunition from its stores’ shelves after asking stores Wednesday to pull the items due to “isolated civil unrest,” NBC reported.

Walmart spokesperson Kory Lundberg told NBC the company asked its stores to move the guns and ammunition to secure spots in their back rooms out of “an abundance of caution.” (RELATED: Walmart Removes Guns, Ammo From Shelves Ahead Of Election Because Of Concerns About ‘Civil Unrest’)

“As the current incidents have remained geographically isolated, we have made the decision to begin returning these products to the sales floor today,” Lundberg said Friday.

The reversal comes four days before the Nov. 3 election and amid turmoil in Philadelphia over the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. A Walmart in Port Richmond was looted during citywide protests Tuesday night, FOX 29 reported.

The company removed the items in some of its stores in June during nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd. Walmart also quit selling ammunition for semi-automatic weapons in 2019 after a gunman killed over 20 people in a Texas store.

The retailer said in the initial decision Wednesday customers could still buy guns upon request.

“We have seen some isolated civil unrest and as we have done on several occasions over the last few years, we have moved our firearms and ammunition off the sales floor as a precaution for the safety of our associates and customers,” a Walmart spokesman said, according to The Wall Street Journal.