In the wake of a mass shooting at a Walmart store, Walmart's Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon called for an assault weapons ban to be debated by Congress and said he's encouraged by growing support for gun-control measures like background checks.
America's largest retailer has found itself increasingly wading into political debates, at times risking the ire of loyal customers. For the first time, Walmart disclosed that it accounts for about 2% of the U.S. firearms market, which would place it outside the top three sellers. In ammunition, the chain maintains a 20% share.
"We believe the reauthorization of the assault weapons ban should be debated to determine its effectiveness in keeping weapons made for war out of the hands of mass murderers," McMillon said as part of his written commentary on the company's earnings. "We must also do more to understand the root causes that lead to this type of violent behavior."
McMillon also expressed support for stronger background checks and policies that would take weapons away from people who pose immediate danger. Walmart runs background checks on all gun purchases and sells only to customers who have cleared them, the company said.
Walmart was thrust back into the debate over gun control after the Aug. 3 shooting in El Paso, Texas, that left 22 people dead. The retailer has been criticized by gun-control supporters for decades for its decision to keep selling at least some types of firearms. Advocates have won some victories, including Walmart's decision in 2015 to end sales of military-style rifles.
The company's response this time has so far centered on removing displays of violent video games, a move criticized by gun-control advocates as not enough. The chain said Thursday that it was still considering changes. In an open letter posted online after the shootings, McMillon said that the Bentonville-based company will be "thoughtful and deliberate in our responses."
Separately, President Donald Trump, who has vowed to push Congress to pass legislation in response to this month's shootings in Texas and Ohio, on Thursday promoted the views of a criminologist who argued this week that there is no evidence that the United States is experiencing an "epidemic" of mass shootings.
On Twitter, Trump shared a message that linked to an interview with Northeastern University criminologist James Alan Fox, who shared his views in a podcast broadcast Wednesday by Reason, a libertarian publication.
In the interview, Fox said that although the number of mass shootings has risen in recent years, there are too few to draw a clear trend line.
He blamed the media for creating unnecessary panic.
"There is no evidence that we are in the midst of an epidemic of mass shootings," Fox told interviewer Nick Gillespie.
The tweet Trump shared providing a link to the interview was written by Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham.
The White House did not immediately respond to a question about what message Trump was trying to convey by sharing the tweet.
Information for this article was contributed by Matt Townsend of Bloomberg News; and by John Wagner of The Washington Post.
A Section on 08/16/2019