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SALT LAKE CITY — After a surge in demand for guns and ammunition following the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, Wal-Mart is limiting ammunition sales to prevent shortages.
Walmart stores are the largest gun retailers in the U.S., but a company spokesperson said the stores have to find a balance between serving sportsmen and being responsible about firearm sales.
"In order to take care of as many customers as possible, starting Thursday, Jan. 24, all ammunition sales were limited to three boxes per customer, per day as supply is limited at this time," spokeswoman Ashley Hardie told Reuters on Wednesday.
Hardie would not speculate on the reasons behind the surge in demand, according to the Los Angeles Times. But according to data released Monday by the FBI, eight of the top 10 days for firearm background checks between Nov. 30, 2013, and Jan. 27, 2013, have occurred since the shooting last month.
Related:
Giffords pleads for gun curbs; NRA fights back
Severely wounded and still recovering, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords begged lawmakers at an emotional hearing Wednesday to act quickly to curb firearms.Adam Lanza, 20, opened fire in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, killing 20 children and six adults before turning the gun on himself. He had shot and killed his mother before going to the school.
The shooting ignited a national debate about gun control, and lawmakers have met to discuss how to address the issue. In an emotional hearing on Wednesday, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords pleaded for Congress to act quickly to curb firearm abuse. The Arizona Democrat suffered a severe head injury in a Tucson shooting spree that killed six.
