Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders call for Walmart to stop selling guns, as workers protest the retail giant in the aftermath of deadly shootings in stores

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are calling for Walmart to stop selling guns. 
• The progressive politicians expressed support for Walmart workers protesting the retail giant's gun sales. 
• Walmart has not indicated any plans to stop selling guns following two deadly shootings in stores that killed 24 people, including two Walmart employees. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Politicians including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are calling for Walmart to stop selling guns. 

This week, roughly 30 Walmart employees took part in a planned walkout to protest the retailer's gun sales, organizer Thomas Marshall told Business Insider. A Coworker.org petition for the retail giant to stop selling guns has more than 54,000 signatures, as of Friday. 

Read more: Walmart corporate employee who urged gun sales protest says 30 people walked off the job in support. Now he's sending a petition with 46,000 signatures to the CEO.

"We have one demand, and that is all," the petition reads. "We value Walmart and our fellow associates, but we are no longer willing to contribute our labor to a company that profits from the sale of deadly weapons."

Now, politicians are joining in, calling for Walmart to change its gun policy. 

"When workers lead, people win," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Thursday, along with a link to an article on Marshall and other employees protesting Walmart's continued gun sales. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted on Friday: "Companies that sell guns have a responsibility to the safety of their communities. @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."

"Walmart should respect the voices of its workers who are calling on the company to stop selling guns. I agree," Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted on Friday. "This is exactly why I believe workers deserve representation on their board, so that their views are heeded."

Walmart has not indicated any plans to stop selling guns following two deadly shootings in stores that killed 24 people, including two Walmart employees. The company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. 

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said on Tuesday said the company will be "thoughtful and deliberate" in its response. 

"We're a learning organization, and we'll work to understand the many important issues arising from El Paso and Southaven as well as those raised in the broader national discussion around gun violence," McMillon said in a note addressed to Walmart employees that was posted Tuesday to social media. "We'll be thoughtful and deliberate in our responses, and will act in a way that reflects our best values and ideals, focused on the needs of our customers, associates and communities."