Walmart started the wave of changes on Tuesday when it said it would ask shoppers not to openly carry firearms in its stores.
The company also announced that it would stop selling ammunition for handguns and certain rifles. Walmart plans to stop selling handguns in Alaska, the only state that the retailer currently sells handguns.
"We know these decisions will inconvenience some of our customers, and we hope they will understand," Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a memo.
Walmart's policy will be enforced differently in stores across the country based store manager's discretion, a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider — and those who openly carry guns in stores won't necessarily be asked to leave right away.
Walmart's announcement set off a domino effect among other retailers across the country in the following days.