Gun and ammunition sales are rising ahead of the election in the United States, with America's largest retailer removing displays for safety reasons.

In its stores, Walmart removed ammunition and firearms from displays, citing "civil unrest."

"We have seen some isolated civil unrest and, as we have done on several occasions over the last few years, as a precaution for the safety of our associates and customers, we have moved our firearms and ammunition from the sales floor," the retailer said in a statement.

About half of the stores at Walmart sell guns.

Sales of guns tend to increase during periods of protest and rioting.

"In the wake of various acts of officer brutality, Gunmaker Sturm, Ruger CEO Christopher Killoy attributed to the rise of calls by activists to" defund the police.

"As concerns about personal protection and home defense were fuelled by civil unrest in some cities around the United States, consumer demand showed no signs of letting up during the quarter," Mr. Killoy said in a statement.

Firearms stores have sold out handguns around the United States.

Joe Biden's looming election is also triggering more gun sales. When Democrats are in the White House, gun enthusiasts are much more likely to build up arsenals, because of fears they will institute more firearms restrictions.

Donald Trump's election had the opposite effect three years ago. After his election, gun sales plummeted.

No more than a year after Mr. Trump was elected, Remington, a prominent gunmaker, filed for bankruptcy protection.

"They want your guns, your oil, and your God to be taken away. That's what they want," Mr. Trump told Fox and Friends in an interview.

"Texas will not lose their guns and they will not lose their oil and they will not lose their religion or their God."

Mr. Biden has repeatedly rejected charges that he wants to "defund the police."

Mr. Biden wants to expand background checks for purchasers of weapons and place a ban on the production of assault weapons.

FBI data revealed that since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, gun sales have almost doubled.

Republican voters are more than twice as likely to own a gun as Democratic voters, a Pew Research survey found.

"Elections always affect sales because people begin to panic," Erin Latsha, the owner of the Arkansas gun shop, told KATV.

"It just makes people think about something, I don't have a gun. I should go buy one."

During the pandemic, a study by the University of California at Davis revealed a surge in gun purchases in California.

"From March through May 2020, we estimate that there were 2.1 million excess firearm purchases," the study said.

The study estimated that death or injury would result in more than one out of every 100 new purchases of guns.