National Park Service Removing Confederate Flag Items From Gift Shop Shelves

The National Park Service says it will remove items Confederate flag merchandise from its bookstore and gift shop shelves, the latest retailer to announce it will no longer carry the symbol after nine parishioners were gunned down in a black church in Charleston, South Carolina.

NBC News reported that books and DVDs that bear the flag will remain, so long as the emblem "cannot be physically detached."

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National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis told NBC that all items sold in national parks must have some educational value or a connection to the park, and that standalone depictions of Confederate flags "have no place."

"We strive to tell the complete story of America," Jarvis said.

He added that that it will be up to park superintendents and store managers to decide which items have "educational value."

The National Park Service's decision follows similar moves this week by private retailers such as Walmart, Sears, Etsy and Amazon.

(H/T: NBC News)

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