Fred Meyer stores have announced the chain will "responsibly phase out sales of firearms and ammunition," KATU reports.

The move comes on the heels of the chain first announcing it would no longer sell guns to people younger than 21, then saying it would no longer sell publications about assault rifles.

Fred Meyer is owned by Kroger, the nation's largest grocery chain. Until recently, it'd sold guns at 44 of its its stores in the West. But the Valentine's Day mass killing of students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida spurred the chain, along with others including Dick's Sporting Goods, to change course.

"Fred Meyer has made a business decision to exit the firearms category," the company said in a statement, KATU reported. "We are currently working on plans to responsibly phase out sales of firearms and ammunition. We made the decision early last week after evaluating changing customer preferences and the fact that we've been steadily reducing this category in our Fred Meyer stores over the last several years due to softening consumer demand. More recently we have been transitioning away from gun departments as a result of our ongoing work to optimize space in our Fred Meyer stores. The firearms category represents about $7 million annually of Fred Meyer's revenue - and sales continue to decline."

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive