Walmart removes guns and ammunition from the sales floor of some stores amid protests

• Walmart has pulled firearms and ammunition from the sales floor of some stores, the company told Business Insider on Wednesday.
• "Those items are available for purchase, but are being stored in a secure room," a Walmart spokesperson said.

Walmart has removed firearms and ammunition from the sales floor of some stores amid widespread protests against the death of George Floyd.

Customers can still purchase these items, even though they are no longer publicly displayed, the company told Business Insider.

"As a responsible seller of hunting and sporting firearms, we have temporarily removed firearms and ammunition from the sales floor in some stores out of an abundance of caution," a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider on Wednesday. "Those items are available for purchase, but are being stored in a secure room."

Some of the many peaceful protests against Floyd's death over the past week have turned violent, with looters targeting restaurants and retail stores, including some Walmart locations.

Walmart said it doesn't sell firearms in many of the major urban markets experiencing looting.

Walmart last year barred shoppers from openly carrying guns in its stores and ended the sale of some types of ammunition in response to two deadly shootings at its stores.

The company also ended the sale of handguns in Alaska — the only state where Walmart still sold handguns — and stopped selling ammunition for all handguns nationwide.