Walmart to nix ‘signs’ of violence
Days after a gunman killed 22 people inside a Walmart store in Texas, the retailer told employees around the country to remove signs, displays or videos depicting violence — but not guns.
In an internal memo this week, the company ordered workers to pull marketing materials with violent images, turn off video game consoles that show any kind of violence and unplug hunting videos from its sporting good department.
“We’ve taken this action out of respect for the incidents of the past week,” spokeswoman Tara House said on Friday.
The move follows a series of violent incidents and threats involving Walmart around the U.S., including Saturday’s massacre in El Paso that has shocked a country increasingly accustomed to mass shootings.
The attack, which left 22 people dead and at least 26 wounded, is being described as domestic terrorism and is one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The shooter, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, has been charged with capital murder and told police he was targeting Mexicans, according to authorities.
The decision to remove violent imagery from its shelves will likely do little to stop a growing movement against Walmart’s gun sales. The American Federation of Teachers has threatened to boycott the retail giant if it continues to sell firearms, while the gun-control group Guns Down America is planning a rally in Florida this weekend to call on the company to stop gun sales. Several presidential candidates have joined the cause.
“Companies that sell guns have a responsibility to the safety of their communities,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted on Friday.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also spoke out. “Walmart should respect the voices of its workers who are calling on the company to stop selling guns. I agree,” he wrote on Twitter.
The El Paso shooting is just one of several recent incidents involving the company.
On Thursday, police arrested a man wearing body armor and carrying two firearms and more than 100 rounds of ammunition at a Walmart in Missouri.