WATCH: Walmart Is Discontinuing Some Ammo Sales. Here's Why It Matters

Walmart announced Tuesday that it is ending sales of some kinds of ammunition at its stores. The move came in the wake of two deadly shootings at Walmart stores in recent months, including one in El Paso, Texas, that killed 22 people.

"It's clear to us that the status quo is unacceptable," Walmart CEO Doug McMillon wrote to employees in a memo posted Tuesday.

The debate over gun control often focuses on guns themselves, but ammunition has played a big role in making recent mass shootings more deadly. Bullets such as the .223-caliber rounds used in some military-style weapons can break bones and damage tissue far from the point of entry. Handgun ammunition such as 9 mm hollow-point bullets are also designed in a way that maximizes damage. Both types of ammunition will be discontinued at Walmart stores.

The above video shows .223-caliber and 9 mm rounds in action. It also shows .22-caliber ammunition of the type used to hunt small game.

Editor's note: Walmart is among NPR's recent sponsors.

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