Walmart has no plans to curb gun and ammo sales after mass shooting

The retailer, which itself was the site of a devastating mass shooting, says it has no intention of halting the sale of firearms and ammunition, but says it does much toward gun safety

Ny Magee

Aug 5, 2019

A Texas State Trooper walks back to his car while providing security outside the Walmart store in the aftermath of a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

With the nation’s focus back on gun control following two mass shootings over the weekend, Walmart says it has no plans to stop selling firearms or ammunition.

“Our focus has always been on being a responsible seller of firearms,” company spokesman Randy Hargrove told Bloomberg.com on Sunday. “We go beyond federal law requiring all customers to pass a background check before purchasing any firearm.”

He noted that in 2015, Walmart stopped selling military-style semi-automatic rifles and removed from its website air guns and toys that resemble assault weapons. This comes in the wake of the two deadly mass shootings over the weekend in El Paso, Tex., at a Walmart store, the other in an entertainment district in Dayton, Ohio. A combined total of 31 were killed.

Hargrove said there are no plans to change the retail giant’s security practice following the shooting. The company has raised the age for purchasing weapons from 18 to 21. It does not, however, release data on gun sales.

“There’s not been any directive to any stores around the country to change any policy,” he said. “We’re focused on supporting our associates, customers and the entire El Paso community.”

Employees at the Walmart store in El Paso are given “active shooter” training four times a year in association with Texas State University, Hargrove said. In the training, workers are taught to avoid, deny entry and as a last resort physically defend themselves in the event they encounter an armed assailant, Hargrove said.