CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — Walmart is returning guns and ammo to its sales floors after removing them in response to the unrest in Philadelphia this week following the death of Walter Wallace, the retail giant announced Friday.
The nation’s largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, sells firearms in about half of its 4,700 stores.
The company announced their initial decision Thursday before issuing an update Friday, saying the incidents “remained geographically isolated.”
After civil unrest earlier this week resulted in damage to several of our stores, consistent with actions we took over the summer, we asked stores to move firearms and ammunition from the sales floor to a secure location in the back of the store in an abundance of caution. As the current incidents have remained geographically isolated, we have made the decision to begin returning these products to the sales floor today.
Walmart
The company made a similar decision in June amid nationwide protests.
Last year, Walmart stopped selling handgun and short-barrel rifle ammunition while requesting that customers not openly carry firearms in its stores, even where state laws allow it. The company also ended the sale of handguns in Alaska, the only state where the discounter sold them.
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate KNWA contributed to this report.