Former Walmart CEO Bill Simon said he is unsure if the retail giant’s new gun policies will put a damper on the country’s mass shootings.
Walmart announced Tuesday they will no longer sell handgun ammunition, as well as some rifle ammunition. They will also stop selling handguns, which they stopped selling in the continental U.S. prior to 2019, in Alaska.
The store also asked customers no longer to openly carry guns in its stores or in Sam’s Clubs, where open carry is allowed under state law.
“Well, you know, first of all, I think Doug and the team at Walmart had to take some sort of action and this was thoughtful,” Simon said.
“Whether it will be impactful on the overall issue in the country, it’s very difficult to say,” he continued. “It’s such a divisive issue, there’s part of the country that will cheer it, and a good portion that will not. It’s tough as a retailer to have to take a position on those things, but when action happens like happened in El Paso, I think they’re left with no choice.”
In the aftermath of a mass shooting in August, where a man used an AR-type rifle to kill 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, gun control groups and many Democratic presidential candidates called on the company to end all gun and ammunition sales completely.
Walmart stopped selling AR-style rifles in 2015 and raised the minimum age to purchase any firearm from 18 to 21.
