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Wal-Mart has implemented its own gun control regulations that limit sales of ammunition.

The Bentonville, Ark., retailer is limiting sales of ammunition to three boxes per customer, per day, due to limited supplies, a local news outlet said.

"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 the City Wire.

Reports indicated that sales of guns and ammunition have risen across the United States since the Dec. 14 shooting at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school. The incident has also fueled a heated debate over gun ownership, in which a senate hearing has been held to discuss to issue.

Data released on Monday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Instant Criminal Background Check System showed that nine of the top 10 days for firearms checks from Nov. 30, 1998, to Jan. 27, 2013, including Dec. 14, 2012, occurred since Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School and then shot and killed himself. Lanza also killed his mother before the school massacre.

Wal-Mart, the largest U.S. gun seller, suggested to the Arkansas news outlet that the retailer is seeking to strike the right balance between serving hunters and sportsmen and ensuring that it sells firearms responsibly.

"Over the years we have been very purposeful about striking the right balance between serving hunters and sportsmen and ensuring that we sell firearms responsibly. In fact, we became a charter member of Mayor Bloomberg’s coalition against illegal guns and adopted the 10-point code established by the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership that goes beyond what the law requires," Wal-Mart spokesman David Tovar said ahead of the meeting in Washington. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a strong gun control advocate.

Hardie said that the purchase limit will stay in place until the retailer is able to resolve the shortage.

In 2011, Wal-Mart brought guns back to many of its U.S. stores after pulling them in 2006 from all but 1,300 locations as the retailer reduced products and store clutter. Hand guns and rifles like the ones used in Newtown are available for purchase at most Walmart locations that sell guns and ammunition.

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