Walmart Pulls Guns, Ammo From Store Displays, Citing Potential 'Civil Unrest'

Walmart on Thursday said it has pulled guns and ammunition from the sales floors of its U.S. stores as it seeks to keep firearms from being stolen should social unrest erupt.

"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 spokesperson said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. "These items do remain available for purchase by customers."

The company in June removed firearms and ammunition from stores after George Floyd's killing by police when several of its stores were damaged.

The nation's biggest retailer remains a major seller of guns and ammunition, although it has scaled back, selling firearms in roughly half of its 4,700 U.S. stores. 

Walmart stopped selling ammunition that can be used in semiautomatic rifles and handguns after a 2019 shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas killed 23 people. 

This is a developing story.

First published on October 29, 2020 / 5:35 PM

© 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.