- Walmart on Tuesday announced changes to its gun-sales policies and asked shoppers to stop openly carrying firearms in its stores nationwide in response to two deadly shootings at its stores.
- Shoppers openly carrying guns inside Walmart stores won't be automatically told to the leave the store, however, a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider.
- Walmart is leaving it up to the discretion of its store managers to decide how to respond, the spokesperson said.
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Walmart on Tuesday asked shoppers to stop openly carrying guns in its stores as part of a broader response to deadly shootings at its stores.
In a memo to employees, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said the company was "respectfully requesting" that shoppers stop openly carrying firearms into its stores because of a string of recent incidents involving gun-carrying shoppers that caused store evacuations.
"There have been multiple incidents since El Paso where individuals attempting to make a statement and test our response have entered our stores carrying weapons in a way that frightened or concerned our associates and customers," McMillon said in the memo. "These incidents are concerning and we would like to avoid them, so we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer openly carry firearms into our stores or Sam's Clubs in states where 'open carry' is permitted - unless they are authorized law enforcement officers."
In addition to changing its open-carry policy, Walmart also said Tuesday that it would end the sale of ammunition for handguns and assault-style weapons and stop selling handguns in Alaska.
What does this mean for gun owners and Walmart customers?
Under the updated policy, shoppers openly carrying guns inside Walmart stores won't be automatically told to the leave the store, a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider.
Walmart is leaving it up to the discretion of its store managers to decide how to respond to these situations on a case-by-case basis, the spokesperson said, and the company will provide employees with guidance and training to assist them with their responses.
Store managers may ask a shopper openly carrying a gun into their store to leave and safely secure their firearm in their vehicle before returning, for example, the spokesperson said.
The policy change won't impact shoppers carrying concealed firearms.
"Our focus has been on open carry because that is where we have seen the most concerning reaction of our customers and our associates," Dan Bartlett, Walmart's executive vice president of corporate affairs, said on a call with reporters on Tuesday. "So we're addressing the issue that is the source of concern in our stores, and that has not been the case for concealed [carry]."
Walmart will post signs stating changes to its open-carry policy
Walmart plans to post signage in its stores to educate customers on its new policy regarding the open carry of firearms, Bartlett said.
"We'll have signage that will go up in the coming days and weeks," he said. He said the policy change will require "a lot of education of our customers by our associates and it'll be an ongoing process."
"Our goal here is not to have a confrontational process, as we do not want to put our associates, themselves, in harm's way or to cause any more anxiety than what already exists," he said.
Read more: I tried to buy a gun at Walmart twice, and roadblocks left me empty-handed both times
He said the company believes the vast majority of customers will understand and adhere to its new policy, and Walmart will "obviously prepare for those who don't."
He also said he hopes customers understand the company's rationale behind the change.
"It's not an attempt to question their legal rights," he said. "It's certainly just about the experiences we've had in our own stores that have put too many customers and too many associates in a place of extreme discomfort and disruption to the store."
