Walmart removed firearms and ammunition from US store floors this week to protect customers and employees as tensions across the country have been rising, said the world's largest retailer.
The move comes days before the United States presidential election on Nov 3, with several worried that the polling result could be contested or spark violence.
"We've seen some isolated civil unrest and as we've done on several occasions over the last few years, we've moved our firearms and ammunition off the sales floor as a precaution for the safety of our associates and customers," a Walmart spokesman said on Thursday.
The company doesn't have a date for when it will place the guns and ammunition back on the shelves, he added.
The Arkansas-based retailer, which sells firearms in approximately half of its more than 5,000 US stores, will still sell the items upon request, it said.
Retailers have been on edge after raiders earlier this year smashed windows, stole merchandise and, at times, set stores ablaze in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Portland and other US cities.
In another trend that has fed concerns, gun sales in the US this year have reached record highs.
More first-time buyers have also purchased firearms in recent months.
In June, Walmart pulled firearms and ammunition from some US stores amid nationwide protests over the death of unarmed black man George Floyd at the hands of police in late May.
REUTERS