Fear of Riots: Walmart Removes Firearms from Store Shelves Ahead of US Elections – News

• American retail giant Walmart pulled guns and ammunition from its store shelves in the US before the presidential election.
• It is a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of customers and staff, according to Walmart.
• Weapons are only sold on request until further notice.

“We have seen isolated riots and, as we have done several times in recent years, we have removed our firearms and ammunition from the sales floor for safety reasons for our employees and customers,” Walmart said in a statement. Walmart sells firearms in about half of its 4,700 stores.

This year riots and looting have broken out in several cities across the United States, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Portland. At the same time, firearms sales in the United States reached record levels before the presidential elections next Tuesday.

Response to murdered African Americans

The firearms recall is also a response to multi-day protests, vandalism and a nightly curfew in Philadelphia. There the police shot a black man with mental health problems. Walmart had taken similar action after George Floyd was killed by a police officer. Floyd’s death sparked demonstrations across the United States against police violence and discrimination against African Americans.