After the recent mass shooting at its store in El Paso, Texas, which left 20 people dead and 26 injured, Walmart has decided to remove any signing or displays that advertise violent video games, but the company won’t be removing guns from the sale.
“We’ve taken this action out of respect for the incidents of the past week, and it does not reflect a long-term change in our video game assortment,” said spokesperson Tara House in an email to BuzzFeed News.
Walmart sent a memo to employees which shows immediate actions that must be taken, emphasizing that signage or displays that “contain violent images or aggressive behavior” or “shooter video games” must be taken down.
An image of the memo, which BuzzFeed News has confirmed is authentic, has been posted on Twitter and Reddit.
The decision was taken after a violent incident at Walmart stores in recent days.
On July 30, two Walmart employees were fatally gunned down in Southaven, Mississippi, by a disgruntled coworker who had recently been fired. Four days later, another shooting occurred at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 22. That incident is currently being investigated as a hate crime.
A company spokesperson told Bloomberg that Walmart had no plans to stop selling the weapons.
When asked why these changes weren’t being implemented, House stated in an email to BuzzFeed News, “We are focused on assisting our associates and their families, as well as supporting the community, as we continue a thoughtful and thorough review of our policies.”
After the recent deadly shootings, Walmart has been faced with an increasing amount of pressure to stop selling guns.
Parkland survivor and prominent March for Our Lives activist Emma González urged followers to boycott the store. “There’s nothing else to say,” she wrote. “F*** Walmart.”
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon wrote in a LinkedIn post that the company was considering how to respond to the tragedies.
“We are a learning organization, and, as you can imagine, we will work to understand the many important issues that arise from El Paso and Southaven, as well as those that have been raised in the broader national discussion around gun violence,” he said.
“We will be thoughtful and deliberate in our responses,” he added, “and we will act in a way that reflects the best values and ideals of our company, with a focus on serving the needs of our customers, associates, and communities.”