Walmart Inc. said Sept. 3 the company will stop selling certain short-barrel rifle and handgun ammunition.
The discontinued items include short-barrel rifle ammunition such as the .223 caliber and 5.56 caliber that are commonly used in some hunting rifles but can also be used in large capacity clips on military-style weapons. The company, however, will complete the sale of its current inventory of the said product.
The company will also stop selling handgun ammunition after selling through its current inventory.
Walmart will also stop selling all handguns in Alaska, the only state where it still sells handguns.
The latest restriction comes after two deadly shooting incidents at its stores in Texas and Mississippi. On July 30, an associate gunned down two co-workers in a Walmart store in Southaven, Mississippi. In August, a gunman opened fire at customers at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, and killed 22 people.
"As it relates to safety in our stores, 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," Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a letter to associates.
However, Walmart will continue to sell guns focused on hunting and sport shooting, such as long barrel deer rifles and shotguns.
The Arkansas-based retailer expects these restrictions to reduce its ammunition market share to a range of approximately 6% to 9% from 20%.
In addition, Walmart also asked its customers not to openly carry firearms at its stores or Sam's Clubs stores in the states where "open carry" is permitted. However, customers with concealed carry permits can continue to carry guns.
In 2018, Walmart pulled back on gun sales following a shooting incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 people were killed.
