2020 Democrats Call On Walmart To Stop Selling Guns Following El Paso Shooting

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Friday implored retail giant Walmart to “do the right thing — stop selling guns,” following this weekend’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas , which took place at one of its stores.

“Sometimes, companies recognize that they have an obligation to the lives, health, and safety of their communities,” the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate tweeted Friday, citing CVS , which stopped carrying tobacco products in 2014.

“Companies that sell guns have a responsibility to the safety of their communities,” she said. “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.” 

Shortly afterward, fellow 2020 presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro also urged the retail giant to stop selling guns, with Sanders and Booker citing calls from some Walmart workers.

Walmart did not immediately reply to HuffPost’s request for comment.

The retail giant does not carry the type of gun that Saturday’s assailant used, an AK-47 style rifle, as it banned assault-style weapons  in 2015.

In response to the El Paso shooting, which killed more than 20 people, gun violence prevention advocates have ramped up pressure  on the retailer to stop carrying any firearms in its stores.

A spokesman for the retailer said earlier this week that Walmart does not plan  to remove guns from its stores. On Thursday, store officials did instruct employees to remove advertising for violent video games .

Following the mass shooting in February 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Dick’s Sporting Goods  also announced that it would no longer sell assault-style weapons. Both retailers also raised the minimum age for gun purchases to 21.

This story has been updated with comments from Booker, Castro and Sanders.