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Several other major retail chains in the country said this week they would ask their customers to refrain from openly transporting firearms to their stores. Requests, a few days after Walmart announced a similar policy, marked a notable turning point in the debate over the presence of firearms in everyday life in the United States.
In a brief statement issued Thursday, CVS Health has asked its customers, other than authorized law enforcement personnel, not to bring firearms into their stores. Walgreens did it too. Both chains said they were joining other retailers. Wegmans, a supermarket chain with 99 stores located mainly in the north-east of the country, has announced its request on Twitter.
"Seeing someone with a firearm can be alarming, and we do not want anyone to feel that way at Wegmans," the tweet said.
As private entities, retailers have the right to restrict firearms in their stores. But we still did not know how they could force customers to comply, and the rules were defined as demands and not absolute prohibitions. Several other major chains have adopted similar policies in recent years, including Starbucks, Target, Costco and Chipotle.
The latest wave of announcements began on Tuesday when Walmart, the country's largest retailer with more than 4,000 stores, said that he would stop selling ammunition that can be used in military style rifles and all handgun ammunition, and this would discourage customers from openly carrying firearms, even in states where it is legal to do so.
"We will treat law-abiding clients with respect and we will take a very non-confrontational approach," Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement.
Shortly after Walmart's announcement, Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati and operating more than 2,700 supermarkets, said it was also asking its customers not to carry weapons in its stores.
In the statement, Jessica Adelman, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, said Kroger had completely abandoned the firearms and ammunition sector a year ago.
"Kroger has demonstrated with our actions that we recognize the growing number of Americans who are no longer comfortable with the status quo and who advocate concrete and sensible firearms reforms," he said. she declared.
She added that the company would also encourage lawmakers to strengthen background checks and "remove weapons from those at risk of violence".
In his statement, McMillon said Walmart decided to change its policy following the August 3 shooting of a Walmart in El Paso, killing 22 people.
He noted that after the shooting, there were several episodes "where people trying to make a statement and test our answer entered our stores with weapons in a manner that frightened or preoccupied our employees and our customers ".
He added that even some well-intentioned customers had inadvertently triggered an alarm, causing evacuations and mobilizations of law enforcement.
"We believe that the possibility for someone to misinterpret a situation, even in free port states, could lead to tragic results," McMillon said.
Walmart's statement noted that there was no change regarding portage concealed by licensed customers, and indicated that new signs would be posted on the policy in the coming weeks.
Firearms laws vary widely, but more than 40 states According to the Giffords Law Center for the Prevention of Gun Violence, a pressure group for gun control, allow for an open form of portering. Some states require special permissions or unloading of weapons or restrict open port policies in cities. There are often exceptions to the open-cast laws in schools, public institutions or places where alcohol is served.
Shannon Watts, Founder of the Firearms Control Group Moms demand action in favor of Gun Sense in the United States, calling it "open-carry" a dangerous and culturally reprehensible practice, and applauded the companies that acted.
"At the end of the day, it's about getting companies to protect their customers when legislators do not protect their constituents," she said in a phone interview.
Ms. Watts urged lawmakers to take action upon their return to Washington. The Walmart statement also called on Congress to strengthen background checks and consider a new ban on assault weapons.
The National Rifle Association has strongly criticized Walmart's statement, saying it was "shameful to see Walmart succumb to pressure from gun elites."
"The lines at Walmart will soon be replaced by lines at other retailers who adhere more to the fundamental freedoms of America," the organization said in a statement released Tuesday.
N.R.A. Friday, led a reporter on Tuesday's statement.
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