Washington (CNN) There seems little doubt that Walmart's decision to limit ammunition sales and ask its customers to refrain from openly carrying guns in its stores represents more than just a routine business move.

That's because Walmart has long served as a touchstone or proxy for "real America" -- one often seen as anathema to liberals, coastal elites and others who might push for gun control.

Think of the so-called Walmart Mom demographic, an important subset of swing voters first identified about a decade ago. They became shorthand for a key swath of America, one not driven by ideology so much as practicality.

In many ways, Walmart's decision is also one grounded in the practical.

"Part of what explains what we've been seeing, both after Parkland and with the Walmart case now, is that more people who are in favor of things like greater gun control, who want companies to take steps to limit access to guns and ammunition ... are actually more focused on these issues," Brian Berkey, an assistant professor of legal studies and business ethics, told the Los Angeles Times . "Because of that, companies are feeling the need to respond in a way that they haven't in the past."