In her call for Walmart to stop gun sales, Warren cited CVS’s 2014 decision to pull tobacco products off its shelves. Other large companies have changed their firearms policies in the wake of mass shootings, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, which pulled assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines off its shelves following last year’s shooting in Parkland, Fla .

The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate made the call in a series of tweets after a gunman entered a Walmart in the Texas border town of El Paso and killed 22 people in a racially-motivated attack Saturday. Less than a day later, a gunman Dayton, Ohio, killed nine people, including his sister, in an entertainment district.

Senator Elizabeth Warren called on Walmart Friday to stop selling guns in the wake of the massacre targeting Latinos in El Paso, telling the company such weapons are “killing their own customers and employees.”

Companies that sell guns have a responsibility to the safety of their communities. @Walmart is one of the largest gun retailers in the world. The weapons they sell are killing their own customers and employees. No profit is worth those lives. Do the right thing—stop selling guns. — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) August 9, 2019

Warren has been vocal about calling for stricter gun control measures for years, but she has yet to release a detailed policy proposal on the issue as she campaigns for president. The Globe reported this week that she plans to do so at a forum on gun safety in Iowa Saturday.


In the wake of the attacks, the massive store chain has taken steps to remove “signing or displays that contain violent images or aggressive behavior,” including video game console displays, according to The Associated Press. Employees were also asked to turn off hunting videos, but its gun sales policies have not changed. Some Walmart employees have called for a walkout over the comapny’s continued sales of firearms in the wake of the attack.

It is not clear where the alleged El Paso gunman purchased the gun used in the attack, but authorities have said it was obtained legally.


Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Warren’s tweets.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.