At the end of August, a mass shooter rampaged through Odessa, Texas after a traffic stop that saw him kill seven people and injure 22 others, including a 17-month-old girl.
Sadly, it was the second shooting the Lone Star State had seen that month after an August 3 shooting at an El Paso Walmart claimed the lives of 22 people and injured an additional 24.
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After years of experiencing shootings like this with no apparent solution forthcoming, more and more Americans now feel as though they’re risking their lives by trying to go anywhere, especially when the guns they may have once been used to seeing are clearly present.
In the days since these shootings, an increasing number of retailers are responding to their customers’ anxieties changing their policies in states where citizens are legally permitted to openly carry firearms.
On Tuesday, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon issued a statement outlining that the company would no longer sell handgun ammunition.
![Image credit: Reddit | [deleted]](https://static.diply.com/IYpzTouzI2FKlVtWqr6j.jpg)
This policy also extended to ammunition suited for short-barreled rifles and essentially restricted available types to those used in hunting rifles and shotguns.
This statement also included the “respectful request” for customers not to openly carry firearms in their stores any longer.
Although this was not worded as an outright banning of the practice, it sent the message that Walmart would officially discourage it from here on out.
Kroger’s vice president of corporate affairs would later make a similar statement towards their customers.
Today, Walgreens has joined these retailers in asking their customers to refrain from openly carrying guns in their locations.
Much like with other retailers, their statement makes an exemption for authorized law enforcement officials.
It also explicitly mentions that it is joining other retailers by outlining this new policy.
Unlike with other companies, however, what I just outlined was the full extent of their statement.
Since these are the only guns you’re likely to find at Walgreens, it appears that there was no need to make any changes in inventory policy that would otherwise go along with this statement.