Kroger has joined Walmart in asking its customers to stop openly carrying guns inside its stores.
The announcement Wednesday follows similar steps by other retailers responding to public pressure to restrict gun and ammunition sales.
On Tuesday, Walmart announced it would discourage customers from openly carrying firearms in its stores and halt sales of certain firearm ammunition. In March, Dick’s Sporting Goods said it would stop selling firearms and ammunition at 125 of its 700-plus locations. Meanwhile, Starbucks, Target and Wendy’s have also asked customers not to openly carry guns when visiting their stores.
“Kroger is respectfully asking that customers no longer openly carry firearms into our stores, other than authorized law enforcement officers,” said Jessica Adelman, group vice president of corporate affairs at Kroger Co., in an email statement. “We are also joining those encouraging our elected leaders to pass laws that will strengthen background checks and remove weapons from those who have been found to pose a risk for violence.”
It is unclear at this point how Kroger or Walmart plan to enforce their policies, or how the policies barring people from “openly” carrying weapons would affect Indiana’s concealed carry rules.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
