NEW RULES

Walgreens and CVS Ask Customers to Leave Their Guns Outside

The stores have effectively aligned themselves with the gun reform movement.

National pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS announced Thursday that they will now ask customers not to carry guns inside their stores—even in states where open carry is legal. The decision follows similar moves by Walmart and grocery store Kroger made earlier this week in the wake of a Texas shooting that left seven dead. “We support the efforts of individuals and groups working to prevent gun violence, and continually review our policies and procedures to ensure our stores remain a safe environment,” CVS said in a statement. CVS and Walgreens are the country’s two biggest drug store companies, and Walmart is the country’s largest retailer. Supermarket chain Wegmans also said Thursday that it would “prefer that customers not openly carry firearms into our stores.” By enforcing similar policies, the stores have effectively aligned themselves with the gun reform movement, and against potential adversaries who support open carry laws. As locations that often draw crowds, large retailers have become targets for mass shootings. Last month, a white man carrying an AK-47 entered a crowded Walmart in El Paso, Texas, and allegedly killed 22 people while targeting Hispanics.