5 major retailers including Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens are banning open carry of firearms in stores in the wake of deadly shootings

Kroger made a similar announcement regarding its open-carry policy in its stores just hours after Walmart.

"Kroger is respectfully asking that customers no longer openly carry firearms into our stores, other than authorized law enforcement officers," Jessica Adelman, Kroger's vice president of corporate affairs, said in a statement.

Walgreens said in a statement on Thursday that it would no longer permit its shoppers to openly carry firearms in its stores, joining Walmart and Kroger in shifting policies related to carrying guns.

"We are joining other retailers in asking our customers to no longer openly carry firearms into our stores other than authorized law enforcement officials," the statement reads.

The company also praised anti-gun violence advocacy group Moms Demand Action and its founder Shannon Watts on Twitter for the group's advocacy on gun-related issues.

Shortly after Walgreens made its announcement, CVS jumped on the bandwagon and made its own policy change known via Twitter.

The drug store chain stated that it was joining "a growing chorus of businesses in requesting that our customers, other than authorized law enforcement personnel, do not bring firearms into our stores."

CVS notably goes one step further by including concealed carry as well in its request.

Wegmans, another grocery chain, publicly asked its customers to stop carrying firearms in its stores on Twitter Thursday.

"There's nothing more important than the safety of our customers & employees," the chain tweeted from its official account. "The sight of someone with a gun can be alarming, and we don't want anyone to feel that way at Wegmans. For this reason, we prefer that customers not openly carry firearms into our stores."