Better late than never.

Walmart has recently decided to change their gun policies and sales after the influx of mass shootings happening around the country.

Following the shooting that occurred in an El Paso, Texas Walmart Aug. 3, Walmart took the step in changing their gun policies and their gun sales. The changes have earned the company both praise and backlash within their customers. Some people believe that because of these changes the companies sales as a whole will be affected.

The week of July 28 was the start of an intense week of gun violence, starting in Gilroy, California. Just six days before the El Paso Walmart shooting, four people were killed and 12 were injured at the annual Garlic Festival held in Gilroy, California. Six days later the shooting in El Paso, Texas took place leaving 22 people dead and 24 injured. The following day, another mass shooting occurred in Dayton, Ohio that killed nine and injured 27. Earlier in the summer of 2019, there was a shooting at a Walmart in Mississippi that killed two and injured two. The Chief Executive of Walmart Doug McMillon tweeted, “We understand our heritage, our deeply rooted place in America and our influence as the world’s largest retailer. And we understand the responsibility that comes with it. In a complex situation lacking a simple solution, we are trying to take constructive steps to reduce the risk that events like these will happen again. The status quo is unacceptable.” The 35 deaths that occurred in one week and the 24 deaths taking place on Walmart property is what pushed the company to make changes for a safer environment.

Before the shootings occurred, Walmart and it’s daughter company, Sam’s Club, allowed customers to openly carry their guns with them in the store in the states it was legal in. The stores also sold hunting rifles and shotguns along with their corresponding ammunition. Along with those products, the company sold ammunition that could be used in assault-style weapons and handguns. In addition to that, the state of Alaska allowed the sale of handguns in their stores. 

Initially, the companies solution was going to be to remove signs in the game section that displayed violence. But the company moved even further in asking customers to no longer carry their weapons openly, even in legal states. The only people who are exempt from this request are law enforcement officers and those who have a permit for concealed carry. Along with the change in the rules of carry weapons, Walmart changed the sale of certain weapons and ammunition. After the company runs out of its current stock currently on shelves, they will not restock ammunition that can be used in the assault-style weapons and handguns along with discontinuing the sale of handguns in Alaska. This leaves the company to only the sale of hunting rifles and shotguns and ammunition required for those guns. 

Despite the companies delay in creating stricter policies on carrying weapons compared to other retailers, the company still earned praise from those who advocate for stricter gun laws. The founder of Guns Down America, an organization in support of stricter gun laws, Igor Volsky said, “Walmart deserves enormous credit for joining the strong and growing majority of Americans who know that we have too many guns in our country and they are too easy to get.” 

However on the opposing side, the National Rifle Association, also known as the NRA, tweeted, “It is shameful to see Walmart to succumb to the pressure of the anti-gun elites. Lines at Walmart will soon be replaced by lines at other retailers who are more supportive of America’s fundamental freedoms.”   

The company is confident that their decision will not affect their business considering that their gun sales only account for a small fraction of the stores overall sales and that their competitive prices will help in the preservation of their customers. They also believe that putting their energy into products that are in a higher demand of need will pay off in the end.