On Friday, Walmart announced that it was reversing an earlier decision to remove guns and ammunition from its sales floors in anticipation of civil unrest over the election.
The firearms and ammo were taken off display on Thursday in all of the retailer’s stores after some Philadelphia stores sustained damage during “civil unrest earlier this week.”
Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg told NBC News in an email that the move came out of “an abundance of caution.”
“The current incidents have remained geographically isolated; we have decided to begin returning these products to the sales floor today,” he said.
At least one store sustained damage after protests over the police-involved shooting death of Walter Wallace Jr. turned violent. Wallace is believed to have been suffering a bipolar episode when police shot him for brandishing a knife.
Additionally, state and city leaders are taking extra precautions leading up to Tuesday’s heated election. Chicago officials practiced an “all-hazards drill” to respond to possible election-related threats. California’s Governor Gavin Newsome said that precautions were being taken on a state and local level in anticipation of election-related discord.
Donald Trump has previously suggested that he would not leave the White House peacefully if he loses to Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
