Several more of the America’s most ubiquitous retail chains said this week that they will ask customers to refrain from openly carrying guns in their stores.

The requests, days after Walmart announced a similar policy, marked a notable shift in the debate about the presence of guns in everyday life in the United States.

CVS Health requested that customers, other than authorised law enforcement personnel, do not bring firearms into its 9,900 stores in the country in a short statement on Thursday. Walgreens, with 9,500 stores, did so as well.

Both chains noted that they were joining other retailers.

Wegmans, a supermarket chain with 99 stores mainly in the Northeast, noted its request on Twitter.

El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Show all 39 1 /39 El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store CCTV images of the gunman identified as Patrick Crusius The 21 year old, as he entered the Cielo Vista Walmart store in El Paso. The gunman was armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on shoppers at a packed Walmart store, killing 20. KTSM 9/AFP/Getty El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Law enforcement agencies respond The Texas city’s police chief said the assault on a Walmart store on Saturday, which left another 26 people wounded, was being investigated as a potential hate crime. AFP/Getty El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Shoppers exit with their hands up Shoppers exit with their hands up after a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, U.S. August 3, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Salgado NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. STRINGER Reuters El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store FBI released a picture of gunman Patrick Crusius The police officially identified the 21-year-old white male from Allen, Texas, a Dallas suburb some 650 miles east of El Paso. FBI/AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store A woman reacts after the mass shooting The attack came just minutes after a far-right manifesto appeared online. If authentic, it would make it the third mass shooting this year announced in advance on the website, which often features far-right and racist content. Reuters El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Law enforcement responds to the active shooter The racist four-page document, titled “The Inconvenient Truth”, calls the Walmart attack “a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas” and expresses support for the gunman who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand earlier this year. AFP/Getty El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store A shopper hiding with an old lady behind the return and exchanges counter as the shooting began. Aaron Castaneda/Reuters El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Ambulances in the car park near the scene It is ranked as the eighth-deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, after a 1984 shooting in San Ysidro, California, that claimed 21 lives. AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Kendall Long (left) comforts Kianna Long (right) who was in the freezer section of Walmart. EPA El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store epa07755367 Police stand at attention after a shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, USA, 03 August 2019. According to reports, at least one person was killed and at least 18 people injured and transported to local hospitals. One suspect is in custody. EPA/IVAN PIERRE AGUIRRE IVAN PIERRE AGUIRRE EPA El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Shoppers exit with their hands up. Reuters El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Shopping carts sit next to a curb after the shooting. EPA El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store El Paso Fire Medical personnel arrive at the scene. AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Walmart employees react after. AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store A woman runs to police near the scene. AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Several law enforcement agencies respond. AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store People arrive at MacArthur Elementary looking for family and friends as the school is being used a re-unification centre. AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Residents Erica Rios, 36, and Alma Rios, 61, cry outside a reunification centre. AFP/Getty El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store People gather in Juarez, Mexico, in a vigil for the Mexican nationals who were killed. AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store A child takes part in a vigil in Ciudad Juarez AFP/Getty El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Francisco Castaneda joins mourners taking part in a vigil at El Paso High School. Reuters El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Presidential candidate and former congressman Beto O'Rourke, right, meets with mass shooting survivor, Rosemary, at University Medical Centre Beto O'Rourke Facebook via AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store From left, Melody Stout, Hannah Payan, Aaliyah Alba, Sherie Gramlich and Laura Barrios comfort each other during a vigil for victims of the shooting. AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store A sign is posted near the scene Getty Images El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Police cars parked below the Walmart sign block a road outside while investigating. EPA El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Sherie Gramlich reacts during a vigil. AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store A man places flowers at the site Reuters El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store People take part in a rally against hate a day after a mass shooting at the Walmart store Reuters El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Lupe Lopez holds a picture of a victim during a vigil for victims AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store People take part in a rally against hate a day after a mass shooting at a Walmart store, in El Paso, Texas, U.S. August 4, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ REUTERS El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Elsa Mendoza Marquez, a Mexican schoolteacher who was married and the mother of two adult children, was one of the victims Getty El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store People with the Mexican flag and the US flag take part in a rally against hate a day Reuters El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store People raise their arms in the air during a vigil for victims AP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store People react and embrace each other Getty El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Women light candles at a make shift memorial at the site of a mass shooting EPA El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Adria Gonzalez (centre) who is being hailed as a hero for leading some Walmart customers to safety, speaks to the crowd AFP/Getty El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store People hold up their phones AFP/Getty Images El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store Beto O'Rourke speaks to the crowd AFP El Paso mass shooting: 20 killed at Walmart store People react during a prayer and candle vigil organized by the city, after a shooting left 20 people dead at the Cielo Vista Mall WalMart in El Paso, Texas, on August 4, 2019. - A shooting at a Walmart store in Texas left multiple people dead. At least one suspect was taken into custody after the shooting in the border city of El Paso, triggering fear and panic among weekend shoppers as well as widespread condemnation. It was the second fatal shooting in less than a week at a Walmart store in the US and comes after a mass shooting in California last weekend. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP)MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images MARK RALSTON AFP/Getty

“The sight of someone with a gun can be alarming, and we don’t want anyone to feel that way at Wegmans,” it said.

As private entities, the retailers have the right to restrict guns in their stores.

But it remained unclear how they might compel customers to comply, and the policies were framed as requests, not outright bans.

Several other large chains have enacted similarly worded policies over the last several years, including Starbucks, Target, Costco and Chipotle.

The most recent wave of announcements began on Tuesday, when Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer with more than 4,000 stores, said it would stop selling ammunition that can be used in military-style rifles as well as all handgun ammunition.

Walmart said it would discourage customers from openly carrying guns, even in states where it is legal to do so.

“We will treat law-abiding customers with respect, and we will have a very non-confrontational approach,” Walmart’s chief executive, Doug McMillon, said in a statement.

Walmart Shooting in Mississippi

Shortly after Walmart’s announcement, Kroger, which is headquartered in Cincinnati and operates more than 2,700 supermarkets, said it too was requesting that its customers not carry weapons into its stores.

In the statement, Jessica Adelman, vice president of corporate affairs, noted that Kroger had completely exited the firearm and ammunition business a year ago.

“Kroger has demonstrated with our actions that we recognise the growing chorus of Americans who are no longer comfortable with the status quo and who are advocating for concrete and common sense gun reforms,” she said.

She said the company would also push lawmakers to strengthen background checks and to “remove weapons from those who have been found to pose a risk for violence”.

In his statement, Mr McMillon said that Walmart decided to change its policy in the wake of the 3 August shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, which left 22 people dead.

He said that after the shooting, there were several episodes “where individuals attempting to make a statement and test our response have entered our stores carrying weapons in a way that frightened or concerned our associates and customers”.

He added that even some well-intentioned customers had inadvertently caused alarm, triggering evacuations and law enforcement mobilizations.

“We believe the opportunity for someone to misinterpret a situation, even in open-carry states, could lead to tragic results,” Mr McMillon said.

Woman pulls out gun in Walmart during row over last notebook

The Walmart statement noted that there was no change in regard to concealed-carry by customers with permits, and said that new signs would be posted about the policy in the coming weeks.

Gun laws vary widely, but more than 40 states allow some form of open carry, according to the Giffords Law Centre to Prevent Gun Violence, a gun control advocacy group.

Some states require special permits or for the weapon to be unloaded, or restrict open-carry policies in cities.

There are often exceptions to open-carry laws in schools, public facilities or places where alcohol is served.

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Shannon Watts, founder of gun-control group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, called open carry “a dangerous and culturally reprehensible practice” and applauded the companies for taking action.

“Ultimately this is about getting companies to protect their customers when lawmakers aren’t protecting their constituents,” she said.

Ms Watts urged legislators to take action as they return to Washington. Walmart’s statement also called on congress to increase background checks and consider a new assault weapon ban.

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The National Rifle Association (NRA) strongly criticised Walmart’s statement, saying it was “shameful to see Walmart succumb to the pressure of the anti-gun elites”.

“Lines at Walmart will soon be replaced by lines at other retailers who are more supportive of America’s fundamental freedoms,” the organisation said.

The NRA on Friday directed a reporter to Tuesday’s statement.