Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Friday called on Walmart to stop selling guns after more than 20 people were killed in a shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, last weekend.
“Companies that sell guns have a responsibility to the safety of their communities,” Ms. Warren, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, said on Twitter. “@Walmart is one of the largest gun retailers in the world. The weapons they sell are killing their own customers and employees. No profit is worth those lives. Do the right thing—stop selling guns.”
She said sometimes companies recognize “they have an obligation to the lives, health, and safety of their communities” and pointed out that CVS voluntarily stopped selling tobacco products several years ago.
“Cigarette sales went down, and more smokers tried to quit. That’s progress,” she said.
Walmart is taking steps to remove displays depicting violence in its stores in the wake of the El Paso shooting, though a spokesman for the retail giant said earlier this week there are no plans to change the company’s policies on firearms sales.
Two Walmart employees were also killed in a recent shooting at a Mississippi store, allegedly by a disgruntled former employee.
Sen. Cory Booker, another 2020 presidential candidate, on Friday complimented an effort among some Walmart employees to protest the company’s policies on guns.
“Walmart should use its power to stop selling guns in its stores until politicians and gun manufacturers get their act together and raise the standard for gun ownership in this country,” the New Jersey Democrat said on Twitter.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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