Walmart to Limit Ammunition Sales and Discourage ‘Open Carry’ of Guns in Stores

Sep 03, 2019 · 800 comments
Dr. John (Seattle)
Name one mass shooter or one inner city shooter who bought a weapon at Walmart.
Average Citizen (Kingston ny)
When are all you bleeding hearts going to start boycotting movies filled with continual gun violence? Where do you think lunatics and criminals get their ideas?
manoflamancha (San Antonio)
The right to bear arms may be needed by police authorities, and by the military. The right to bear arms may be used by families for their protection. However, it was also used by those who murdered others to satisfy their own twisted view of life. Multiple mental disorders may be at the forefront of these twisted minds. But the right to bear arms is also used by criminals, the mafia, the Mexican Mafia, drug cartels, drug traffickers, street gangs, the "hell angel's" and other motorcycle gangs, rapists, aryan nation racist groups, extremist Islamic Isis, Muslim terrorist groups, skinhead racist groups, KKK, neo nazi groups, and other criminal groups. These criminals will always have weapons legally or illegally. In the final analysis Constitutional laws don't prevent or make people do things. People will make their own choices whether that choice is constitutional or unconstitutional, whether that choice is decent or indecent, whether that choice is moral or immoral, or whether that choice is right or wrong. The 6th Commandment says, “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20.13.
cherie (denver)
Canada has similar gun laws and they aren't shooting each other? I wonder why?
Dr. John (Seattle)
Democrats controlled the Senate during Sandy Hook. After the tragedy, they voted on no related bill. In fact they did nothing.
Dr. John (Seattle)
250 deaths by mass shootings last year. 7000 gun murders in our cities last year. What problem is most significant?
frank monaco (Brooklyn NY)
WOW! Corporate America has taken a stand with their conscience. If Only Washington would Follow. Look the right to bare arms was written into the Constitution when muskets were used. We just broke away from England and the Country was an infentile stage. I do believe it is time for both sides come to the table and have a resonable decission, respectful of the other side. I understand there are people who live in rural areas Far from any city, county or state police. We all need to come to the table. We can Not go on like this. These are our Children, Neighbors, Friends that are being Attacked and Killed for No reason. How can we all go to bed tonight with the attitude "That's just the way it is today"?
Dendreon (Texas)
Kudos to Walmart. I will now do ALL my shopping there.
Elripley (California)
Thank God I have enough 5.56mm reloading components put away to last till the next century! :-) Plus they are still selling Tula 7.62x39 for my AK, so I'm good...
markd (michigan)
Walmart's company profit from guns and ammo are negligible overall. The Walton's have been ultra-conservative backers for decades and the immediate family is worth over 160 billion dollars. I'm not gullible enough to see this as anything but a PR stunt. Good for them though. Now if they would pay their employees a decent wage instead of their people needing over 6 billion dollars in public assistance I might have a less cynical view of the Waltons.
Steve (Maryland)
Good for Walmart! Now, if a lot of other arms selling stores do the same, that will help too. Mostly, however, the United States Congress should lead the way and we all know better than to hold out breaths for that. 2020 is fast approaching and do we all not live in fear of the number of mass killing yet to occur?
Jane (Clarks Summit)
Never a fan of Walmart for myriad reasons, I must say that I applaud the corporation’s decision to make it just a hair more difficult for people bent on human slaughter to buy ammo. I also approve of it discouraging customers from packing weapons while they shop. To stand up against gun violence took courage. Some customers, and certainly the NRA will be miffed, but when gun violence erupted in one of their own stores, apparently blood in the aisles caused Walmart question how its image might suffer just a tad if it sat back and did nothing. I hope Mitch McConnell is playing attention.
Dr. John (Seattle)
The vast majority of gun murders occur in cities. If Liberals did not fear being called racist, they would be brave enough to effectively tackle the real gun problem in the USA. Felons possessing guns illegally is 1000X the problem as law-abiding citizens in rural and suburban areas legally owning weapons.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Dr. John To your point, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine - at least since 2001 (with a one-year exception) - have recorded the lowest incidences of violent crime. See FBI, "Crime in the United States" 2001-17. None of these states requires a license to carry a concealed firearm. Vermont never has. Maine and New Hampshire ended licensure in 2015 and 2017, respectively. By contrast, Massachusetts - with man nasty and repressive "gun control" laws - has long had a level of violent crime twice that of New Hampshire. In NH, murders are so rare - the murder rate is one-fourth to one-fifth of the national average (5.2 per 100,000 in 2017) - that the Attorney General prosecutes all alleged murderers. A county attorney does not see enough homicides to be adept at such prosecutions. In short, the idea that "guns cause crime" is simply WRONG!
cherie (denver)
Your facts (1000x) aren't correct additionally those people are not going into stores and randomly shooting innocent people. I feel your statement is irrelevant to the article rather a chance to make a pro gun sentiment. I will say though is that if every black person in America legally purchased a gun, the gun laws would change right quick, a joke in Dave Chapelle's new show but true nonetheless. These issues are indicative of how ignorant or uneducated a large majority of Americans are. Currently we have to many issues with mental health and numerous other issues i.e. inclusion, poverty to allow guns to be so accessible in our society.
Mgaudet (Louisiana)
Maybe WalMart (China mart) will take those folks that used to work in the ammo department and have them man the cash registers at the check out counter. Oh, that’s right, those miserable self check outs. More layoffs. Sigh.
Jeff P (Washington)
This is a positive step by Walmart. Yet, they say that ammunition sales will cease after current stock is depleted. So that means that sales/money is still more important to Walmart than people's lives. This is too bad. It would have meant so much more for common sense had Walmart sucked it up, taken all the ammo out of the stores, and destroyed it.
Jacqueline (Colorado)
Liberals have no idea what happens when you buy a gun legally. They just think I show up with cash and walk out with whatever I want. Plus, the denigration of gun owners in these comments is pretty gross. Calling all gun owners insane white supremacists and assuming we are all men who walk around with 50 cal Desert Eagles strapped to our sides is pretty insulting. I went to MIT, I'm a transgender woman, and I've never shot a single living thing even though I own more than 10 guns. Every time I've bought a gun I had a background check. I've had to fill out several forms and present my ID. If I buy a gun online, the gun goes to a licensed gun dealer and I have to go to the store to get my background check before I can buy it. I never open carry my weapons. I have a pistol in my car. I had the sheriff come to my house to make sure my backyard gun range was safe. I dont fire my guns at night. I obsess with gun safety. I only shoot targets. I dont break the law ever. I voted for Obama twice. I just wish everyone could have a nuanced view of things. I'm fine with more waiting periods and background checks, I'm fine with buying one gun a month. I'm fine with well written red flag laws that protect the rights of gun owners. I'd even buy gun insurance if that was required. The only things I wont do are allow the government to register my guns and give up my assault weapons without adequate compensation and an agreement that the cops wont carry assault weapons anymore either.
SM (Brooklyn)
@Jacqueline Thank you so much, Jacqueline, for your letter. I admit, I had scant idea of how the process works. But doesn’t this vary by state? Also, you raise a very strong point about surrendering assault rifles. I agree you and other owners deserve compensation, and the fact that police be prohibited from using them. I’d sign on for that. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. My one quibble with you is - why oppose registering firearms?
Samuel (Brooklyn)
@Jacqueline I think most liberal can appreciate your position, especially when it is explained so clearly and eloquently. However you have to concede that while you seem like a model of what a firearm owner should be, not everyone is as responsible as you are. Even if new make it a little inconvenient for you to purchase firearms in the future, isn't a small inconvenience an acceptable price to pay for policies that could genuinely save lives? This isn't an issue because liberals WANT to impose undue burdens on law abiding responsible gun owners, but sometimes doing the right thing comes with a cost. Imagining how I would feel in your position, I can certainly sympathize with the frustration that you must feel, when it feels like you are obeying all the rules and still being targeted with extra rules afterwards. That sounds very irritating. But the way I see it, if all I have to pay is a little irritation to save a few people's lives, it ought to be worth it. May I ask what your specific objection is to being asked by the government to register the firearms you have? Do you really think that people are going to come house-to-house to confiscate them? I don't mean to be condescending or insulting, I'm just trying to understand your perspective.
Dr. John (Seattle)
@Jacqueline Surrender your AR weapons if the police do they same? Will the criminals and felons also surrender their weapons?
Angelsea (MD)
So, who defines handgun ammo? We have two handguns. Both take .22 caliber long-rifle shells, a popular small rifle shell not used in assault-style weapons. We carry them only on our own land when clearing it of fallen timber and brush in case we encounter rattle snakes or copperheads which are common around here. They are not meant for human predators but for protection from snakebites. Yes, even the birdshot we use in them could seriously harm a human but that's not the reason we carry them. The state demands we keep our woods clear of debris. So, again, who decides?
r mackinnon (concord, ma)
Sorry, but this is far from a show of "courage" or "bravery." Spare me. This is a business decision - open carry is bad for business (wonder why) and they wont even do that. If Walmart wants to be so brave - put some money towards the fight to reinstate the ban on assault weapons that a bought-and-paid-for NRA Congress lifted (!) in 2004 And fight to repeal the PLCC law that enactde by that same Congress a year later , and which ONLY exempts gun makers for products liability suits. (nice to have friends in high places) Until and unless that happens, Walmart will NEVER see me in one if its stores. Nor will nay other retail outlet that sells assault weapons or ammo (They don't even pay their workers well, but that's another conversation)
Dr. John (Seattle)
Don’t try to interject evidence or logic into this issue. Bottom Line? Guns are bad, bullets are bad, especially in the hands of law abiding citizens.
Ingrid Rees (Olympia, WA)
I salute Walmart and their courageous decision in support of LIFE. May our congress and Mr. Trump pay attention. Americans are sick of the carnage and terrible, senseless loss of innocents. Enough is enough. I will vote for the candidate who supports the dignity of our right to live without fear. Thank you, Walmart for taking the lead.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Ingrid Rees You're right to be concerned about "innocents". You're wrong to think "gun control" protects "innocents". In the 20th Century, "gun control" laws repeatedly promoted genocides, in which millions were murdered. Germany enacted "gun control" on 12 April 1928, before the Nazis took power. The goal: to curb fights between Nazi Party and Communist Party thugs. If you read German published in the pre-war Fraktur (Gotisch) fonts, so post and I'll provide a link. When the Nazis lawfully took power in 1933, they found in police stations, lists of firearm-owners. Plainly the Nazis did not allow those whom they hated - of whom Jews were only one group - to hold onto firearms. The disarming of Jews was not decisive: Jews were only one percent of Germans. The prompt disarming of the many other Germans, who hated the Nazis, quickly gave the Nazis an iron grip. The Nazis were not then wildly popular. They won 43.9% of the vote in an election held on 5 March 1933, even with Nazi party thugs having terrorized other parties' candidates. Even so, the Nazis - short of a majority - had to form a coalition. It had a slim majority in the Reichstag (parliament). By at once disarming their foes, the Nazis stifled any resistance. By 1938, Nazi policy successes - e.g., the seizure of Austria and a revived economy - made the Nazis truly popular. The Nazis murdered some 13,000,000 of whom some 6,000,000 were Jews (of whom 1,500,000 were CHILDREN) and 750,000 Gypsies (Roma).
JohnW (San Francisco, CA)
This statement right here: “The store employees are the ones who will have to solve the problem without getting themselves shot” says it all about IRRESPONSIBLE GUN TOTERS and defenders. Open Carry does not mean open shooting-at-will at those who disagree and are carrying out their employers rules. Rather the gun-toters need to RESPECT the rules set out by any business. What a shameful stance to take against fellow Americans. Adam Winkler needs to lose the right to own guns, he's unbalanced and dangerous; a RED FLAG LAW example right here.
Jo Williams (Keizer)
Walmart, along with Starbucks, Kroger, seem to be indicating a sincerely held belief in the right to life. Surely they should then be able to refuse service, show the door, to those entering with weapons. Quite the dilemma for evangelicals who love their assault weapons. Or not.
Jacqueline (Colorado)
Great, this will funnel more sales to local gun shops. Walmart causes more damage to America than guns do in many ways.
Kathy Garland (Amelia Island, FL)
I hate to be so cynical, but if I have learned anything from my 66 years in the United States of America, it’s that corporations aren’t typically morally driven, UNLESS they feel there is a shift in how the consumer is feeling! If any business leader deserves praise, it is Edward W. Stack, CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods. He earned my business by taking a moral stand after the Parkland shooting. Would I have preferred him to have done it after Columbine instead...you bet, but he still took a courageous stand prior to the big shift in public opinion. It would’ve been a no-brainer for Walmart to take a stand after the El Paso shooting, but they didn’t. Why not?! I have boycotted Walmart for quite some time since they refuse to pay their worker’s a living wage and we taxpayers supplement their corporate profits by paying for food stamps and healthcare for their minimum wage employees. And of course, they always fight against raising the minimum wage. As consumers Americans can support companies that reflect their moral values and refuse to frequent those who don’t. Next it’s time to vote out any senator or congress person who refuses to buck the NRA and fail to protect their constituents....same for local and state politicians as well. If politicians refuse to protect us, they are not worthy of serving! We must DO SOMETHING!
ChrisH (Earth)
I appreciate and am grateful for Walmart's change in policy. However, with all the money Walmart has, do they really need to wait until they sell through their current inventory? What if one of those bullets or guns are used in the next mass murder? I imagine the cost to Walmart, no matter how high, would be far less than the price paid by the victims and their families.
EdH (CT)
I have a suggestion. Everytime that you see someone in the street or a shop with a gun, call the police. You never know that person's intentions. If he or she has a permit they can show it to the police. Eventually they, or the police, will get tired and decide that in this day and age it may not be necessary to carry a gun in public. For example, next time that I am in Texas and i see someone with a gun in, say Starbucks, I will drop my coffee and run out screaming Gun! Gun! I will then call the cops and let them sort it out. And maybe i will have prevented another tragedy.
Kathy Garland (Amelia Island, FL)
Can I jump to the conclusion that anyone walking around with a gun has mental issues? Because I don’t know anyone who would do that, so that leads me to believe those people are mentally fragile and can quickly turn into what the NRA and this president call, a person with mental problems!
Chris (Walnut Creek)
Walmart's actions are brave and to be applauded, but until the terrorist-like behavior of the NRA is stopped, there will be no real progress in the war the latter wages against the American people: the second amendment trumps life, liberty and the pursut of happiness.
pam (San Antonio)
Bravo Wal-Mart!!!! Thanks for taking a stand on gun violence in our country.
Tom Walker (Maine)
Walmart, just like any other business, has the right to deny entry to people carrying guns... either openly or concealed - their choice. They need to make their policy crystal clear to the public. Instead of having their workers enforce the rule, Walmart should hire off-duty police officers to enforce their policy.
Peter Buck (Boston)
As far as I know, there are two calibers for assault rifles: the NATO 7.62 mm, or .30 caliber, round and the M-16 (AR-15) NATO 5.56 mm, or .223 caliber, round. There are several variants of .30 caliber rounds. But both calibers are also used in civilian bolt action, fixed internal magazine hunting rifles, are they not? So what's the special assault weapon ammunition?
Diogenes ('Neath the Pine Tree's Stately Shadow)
Although the 5.56 and 7.62 mm rounds have been adopted by NATO as a multinational standard for the military forces of its member nations, there is nothing exclusively/inherently "military" or "assault" in those calibers. Note that in some states the 5.56 mm (.223) round is legal for deer hunting, provided that the bullet is an expanding type (as opposed to the full metal jacket bullet used in the military).
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Peter Buck Since the Hague Convention (1899), major countries have only issued ammunition, the bullets of which have a lead or steel core, wrapped in a metallic copper jacket (not a plating). These bullets are known as "full metal jacket". The goal: to prevent bullet expansion, which makes a wound that is rapidly lethal and hard to repair surgically. A wounded soldier ties up resources, e.g., a medic and comrades to carry the wounded from the battlefield. While the U.S. did not sign-on to the Hague Convention, standard-issue rifle and machinegun cartridges (M80, M61, M855, etc.) all conform to Hague Convention requirements. By contrast, cartridges made for hunting usually have bullets that are NOT full-metal jacket. Rather, the bullet's tip may be lead or have a plastic insert that fills a hollow point. Such a bullet expands on impact. The goal is to kill the animal as quickly as possible. Most hunters are ethical and so want an "instant" kill. In short, military-type weapons are designed to work with less-lethal full-metal-jacket ammunition. One final point, the term "assault rifle" has Nazi roots. It is the direct translation of "das Strumgewehr" the Nazi name for a self-loading rifle they introduced in the Fall of 1943. The Nazis committed a major genocide: they murdered some 13,000,000, including millions of children. Nazi terms should be used only when quoting from documents of that era. The US military has never used "assault" as part of its rifles' names.
R. Pickering (Chicago, IL)
While I fully support any sane, law abiding person to own and even conceal carry a gun, I don't think stores like Walmart should sell ammo or firearms. I just don't think that's the image Walmart needs to portray "Hey guys and gals, why not pick up some ammo while you're here buying milk and eggs!" I think that guns and ammo should be left up to places like Bass Pro/Cabela's and gun shops. I think by limiting who and where you can purchase ammo/firearms from, it would go a long way in curtailing who can get their hands on these products.
Dr. John (Seattle)
As long as Liberals focus their 100% of their gun control efforts on preventing law-abiding rural and suburban citizens from owning legal weapons - while conveniently ignoring the felons and criminals committing the vast majority of murders in this country - they will never change anything for the better. For example, sadly there were about 250 killed in “mass shootings” last year. There were about 50 murders last year by so-called “White Supremacists”. Why are these the focus of Liberals instead of the 7000-8000 murders in our inners cities annually where even innocent adults and children are killed in the crossfire? Stop blaming law-abiding citizens - instead address the real problem - and you might get someone to listen you.
Donna A. (Missouri)
Not a great idea for the Mad Max fantasy citizens to control our society in this way. Walmart is going to have trouble retaining employees or having customers in these open carry states if this mess continues. State legislators need to wake up.
Dreamer (Syracuse)
My hats off to Walmart! This is called SPINE! To have the courage to go against the wishes of the NRA and its human-killer members (remember - there are good people on both sides - so says Trump!). Let's organize 'support' gatherings in front of Walmart stores all across the country to say 'we salute you, Walmart'. Let's make hats with the logo 'Salute to Walmart' and sell them or give them away. I will buy one, even if Walmart itself sells it (and even if it is made in China).
nora m (New England)
Finally, one major retailer takes a stand. Thank you. I guess it takes a mass murder in a store to get the attention of management. In what universe does it make sense to allow open carry in a store to begin with? Lax gun laws are precisely why I will not travel to any state in the gun belt. I have no wish to be killed or wounded by some nutjob dropping his gun on the floor and having it fire or being in a mass shooting at a restaurant. They should rewrite the travel websites in states that allow guns in public with a public health warning: Visitors to this state should wear bulletproof vests and helmets in case of random mass shootings.
DM (Pa)
Doesn't the second amendment say something about being well regulated??
Wilmington EDT (Wilmington NC/Vermilion OH)
Yes. But the NRA and others ignore this significant and limiting phrase!
Lefthalfbach (Philadelphia)
The NRA/Militia nuts will absolutely challenge Walmart on this by carrying weapons openly into stores. Soon guys in open-carry states will walk into Walmart’s with an assault rifle over their shoulder and a pistol strapped down to their leg. In fact, I would think/fear that this is already being organized online on a massive scale. watch for this nationwide on Saturday.
Chris (Minneapolis)
I wish we could know how many good guys with guns were walking around that Walmart in El Paso the day of the shooting. Also, doesn't anyone wonder if the bullets used by the El Paso shooter were bought at a Walmart. Maybe the optics of the ammo used to take down your customers aren't all that good for business.
Robert (Fresno, Ca)
I have no idea why a customer would want to tote a weapon while shopping. I also have no clue as to the intention of that person, at least until he or she starts shooting. Then it will be too late.
Independent American (USA)
It is past time for these companies to step up their policies in an effort to protect customers while in their stores regardless of the NRA's opinions. The NRA is made up of many self serving people with fear based mental health issues who should not own guns. The obvious example of thier mental defect is the "slippery slope" excuse they use whenever the mere idea of discussing gun control is brought up. Another example would be their false and twisted idea the 2nd Amendment is a limitless right. Military grade weapons are designed for our active military trained soldiers to use to defend our nation, period. Those weapons do not belong in the hands of civilians for any reason. And only the mentally fearful among use disagree with this premise..
Dr. John (Seattle)
@Independent American Name a military grade weapon sold to civilians.
Carlos (San Francisco CA)
HW Keiser (Alberta,)
@Dr. John 1911A .45, Barrett’s 9mm, H&K .45 Want more?
hugo (pacific nw)
Walmart is not doing enough to stop the politics of extremism that is hurting our communities, the sale of ammunition and weaponry from America's largest grocery store is unacceptable. Walmart makes more of its business from minority communities, yet it has remained silent when these minorities are attacked by white extremist, many of the attacks against minorities happen outside and inside Walmart, I myself do not feel safe in their stores and shop somewhere else.
Dr. John (Seattle)
@hugo 50 murders last year by white supremacists. 7000 murders in our inner cities.
Carlos (San Francisco CA)
Hey Doc! Your logical fallacy needs a little work.
JOSEPH (Texas)
Quit shopping Walmart for guns & ammo years ago. Same for most people I know. There was never anyone there to help or get things out of locked displays. Pretty easy decision for Walmart to make, basically virtue signaling because their sales had already dropped. Mexico has very strict gun laws but has over 28,000 murders a year, probably closer to 40,000 when you account for missing persons. The cartel will continue to supply guns over the southern border to gangs & criminals. Any attempt or laws to address gun violence will do nothing.
Ancient (Western NY)
Here's something interesting: New York's SAFE Act required that "assault rifle" owners register their guns. It's estimated that around a million gun owners did NOT register their weapons, but (knock on wood) we don't have many of these insane mass shootings in NY. I wonder why.
Ricky (Texas)
What's happened to the United States of America? It doesn't seem that long ago no one would have dreamed that they needed to carry a gun to attend a church, a movie, go out to eat, shop at a mall, outlet, major store, attend a concert, drive on our roads/highways. In Odessa a young man was killed when he just stepped out side of his home because he heard what he believed to gun shots. I carried a weapon as a tool of my job for 24 years, I am retired from that job now, and I refuse to live in a world where I can't trust my fellow citizens not to shoot me while shopping at my local Walmart. We are becoming a less civilized country each day, when we feel the need to have a firearm on our person at all times everywhere we go, because we no longer feel safe or trust our neighbor or fellow American as we move about with our lives. I am 64 now and while I am not so much worried about myself with what time I might have left on this planet, I feel very sad for those who are behind us and the world they will have to live in.
Michael (Florida)
Bravo to McMillon! If only our elected officials had his courage. I will look for opportunities to do my shopping at Walmart!
Patrick (Colville)
“The strongest defense of freedom has always been our free-market economy,” the group added. “It is shameful to see Walmart succumb to the pressure of the anti-gun elites.” And when that free market says it's had enough of gun violence? When it's had enough of children getting slaughtered at the throne of the unholy NRA? Pull a gun and demand they sell more guns?
band of angry dems (or)
The more mass shootings, the sooner the survivors will flip that state too blue.
Web (Boston)
@band of angry dems So that's what you're hoping for?
Joe (Nyc)
Why don’t people simply boycott any businesses that sell assault rifles and ammunition? Costco, Walmart, etc should be ashamed.
Ancient (Western NY)
@Joe Costco sells guns and ammunition? I just searched for ammunition on their web site. Result: "We're sorry. We were not able to find a match." When I searched for guns, the only results were gun safes.
Clinton Frederick Miller MD (Portsmouth, NH)
I will now shop at Walmart simply because they are doing the right thing, something our elected Congress and narcissistic goon President cannot seem to commit to. Bravo Walmart
Wally Wolf (Texas)
The gun problem in America is obviously so bad that a major store chain had to take steps to protect its reputation, its sales force, and its customers. Walmart is doing what America's Republican senators won't do because the NRA is demanding that they keep the status quo. The NRA is a major contributor to the senators' re-election campaigns. Republican senators cannot make a move without the permission of Trump and the NRA. America has becomes the United States of the NRA, headed by a president who puts Putin's and the NRA's interests before Americans. We have a broken, corrupt political system that its killing Americans.
Norman Canter, M.D. (N.Y.C.)
@Wally Wolf -Of interest is the decision to supply shot gun and hunting rifle ammunition which are legitimate consumer needs, while not selling ammunition for "assault weapons" for which there is not real public need. The thinking here is both rational and public minded. There is no greater good than the safety of the public.
Web (Boston)
@Norman Canter, M.D. They have also discontinued sales of handgun ammunition, including the cartridges used in your dad's revolver. About 43% of households in the US own firearms, predominantly handguns. Are you the arbiter of what the public's "needs" are?
Peak Oiler (Richmond, VA)
@Web you make a good point, but high-capacity 9mms are used in more mass shooting than ARs and AKs. So I can see why Wal-Mart did this. I'm a handgun shooter and reloader, btw. I have a conceal-carry license. It's PR, partly. So is the rifle-ammo choice. You can hunt varmints well with a bolt-action chambered in .223, the same round used in many ARs. But of more consequence to me is their ban on open carry in stores: that is a form of public insanity that needs to end. Good on Wal-Mart for taking a stand.
PaulB67 (Charlotte NC)
Glad to see that The Kroger Co., the largest traditional supermarket chain, also asked its customers not to open carry weapons in its stores nationwide. Let's hope all other customer-facing companies take similar action. It is a measure of how intimidating open carry is that Kroger and Walmart "respectfully" requested gun owners not to have weapons in plain view. Think about that: asking, really begging people to act sanely and not to scare other shoppers and store employees. There is not a Constitutional right anywhere to bully.
Wilmington EDT (Wilmington NC/Vermilion OH)
They should demand it. No civilian has a right to carry a firearm onto another persons property without permission. Period. Full stop.
AACNY (New York)
There should be gun insurance just as there is car insurance. Let insurers identity and reduce the risks. They have no stake in this fight and are the most adept at dealing with risk.
Web (Boston)
@AACNY Please identify the scenarios where "gun insurance" would have prevented an act of "gun violence". I'll wait.
AACNY (New York)
@Web Do car insurers have any effect on automobile safety? At a minimum, rates affect behavior.
DR (New England)
I haven't shopped at Walmart in more than 20 years and I don't plan to shop there ever, for a variety of reasons but I'm glad to see them doing the right thing.
Barbara L Miller (NYC)
Good symbolic gesture. However, by recommending, but not requiring, no open carry, it will now fall on employees to determine whether or not a customer is dangerous. That, in itself, is potentially dangerous to customers and employees. Walmart needs to take the lead on this.
Michael Kittle (Vaison la Romaine, France)
It took weeks for Walmart to decide how to respond. Why not decide within minutes of the killings at an El Paso Walmart to stop all gun and ammunition sales at all Walmart’s? Wasn’t that the obvious and sane thing to do?
Carl (Litle Meadows, PA)
I had not been a frequent shopper at Walmart....I will now and Walmart, you have my business. Thank you for taking this action to reduce the ease of getting weapons and ammo used in America's mass murders.
David J. Krupp (Queens, NY)
Now every store should sell only single shot hunting rifles and ammunition for them.
Perry (Paris)
Open carry should be against the law everywhere ! Just ask a cop. Fin
EJS (Granite City, Illinois)
They step “forcefully” into the debate by “discouraging” people from openly carrying guns, lethal weapons, in their stores? So unless one of these gun fetishists says, “Aw, gee, I guess I’ll leave Ole Betsy in the trunk,” I’ll have to stand in the checkout line behind some yo-yo with a gun strapped to his side? Yet another reason not to shop at Walmart.
Charles Oberholtzer (Texas)
And when the next and the next and the next shootings occur, will access to guns be as difficult as it is to live with a lost life of a loved one. That "Wal Mart" has experienced the loss of life under its own roof mandates changes. Will they now do worthwhile background checks and make online sales a thing of the past? Is Bass Pro Shops next? Congress next, the Senate next? What does it take to do the right thing in this country?
Ed (Oklahoma City)
Walmart responded to the horror visited upon its employees and customers in El Paso. Finally. The GOP did NOTHING after one of its leaders was shot and nearly died at a House of Representatives baseball game practice. You can't fix dumb.
larry (pittsburgh)
good job Walmart as, Blood is on the "do nothing" hands of McConnell, Rump and the NRA. Rump & McConnell never served in combat and neither did the CEO of the NRA. They never lost a loved one to a mass shooting or knows what damage assault style weapons can do. They just sit back and let people die.
Margaret (Waquoit, MA)
For all the negative comments about Walmart's actin not being enough - it is a START - something we cannot get from the Senate. The House has already passed legislation requiring background checks for all firearm purchases. #massacremitch will not bring the bill up for discussion and a vote in the Senate. Time to lay the blame where it belongs - at the feet of the GOP.
DaveInNewYork (Albany, NY)
“The strongest defense of freedom has always been our free-market economy" Isn't this the same cynical NRA that says GUNS are the strongest defense of freedom? And I'm pretty sure that, historically, the military has been the strongest defense of freedom. I mean, what, if we are attacked we will retaliate by throwing our store credit cards at the invaders?
Joe (California)
Reason is starting to return to America, and Britain. The Trumpies' 15 minutes of fame are about up and for those living in the Fox bubble it's going to be a rude awakening.
J Clark (Toledo Ohio)
Sad state of affairs when Walmart is more proactive in protecting Americans lives then the republican congress.
JPH (USA)
That is really an American problem like the USA being the highest violent crime rate nation by 9 times the average in Europe. Americans have to start asking the questions about why they are such a violent nation . Also the highest incarceration rate by 8 times the European average . Almost 1 % of US citizens are in jail at all times. All we read is lies : that the USA are not more violent and that mass shootings are just mental health problems .
esp (ILL)
Well, I guess Walmart has finally come to some sort of realization regarding guns in the face of the tragedy at one of its stores. Wonder how many more "incidents" will have to happen before our "elected" officials see the light? "The answer my friend is blowing in the wind." Bob Dylan
Mike Boyajian (Fishkill)
McConnell is now politically impudent and a feeding frenzy is beginning based on Wal-Mart's new gun policy and Senator Manchin's decision to run again for his Senate seat rather than the governor's office.
Nancy (Winchester)
I'm never sure which is scarier - standing next to someone wearing a gun or wondering if the person next to me in line has one concealed on him somewhere.
John (LINY)
I still don’t like Walmart but they have more courage than conservatives and any republicans.
New World (NYC)
*This* is good business. Walmart gets it. Good job.
Timothy (Toronto)
Thank Walmart for a simple yet powerful display of leadership.
Auntie Mame (NYC)
Very interesting. I don't remember is open carry allowed on university, college campuses. What does open carry mean? Guns in holsters? (wild west?) rifles don't fit in holsters, over the shoulder? Semi-automatic pistols? assault weapons? I don't think employees should be in the position of confronting armed persons. Some of the comments reference the what should be illegal conditions of Walmart employees' employment... but so long as the investor class is doing well in our caste system, guess it doesn't matter. [ Warren Buffet could strike an interesting blow by selling all the stock and closing the fund. IMO most American companies support economic enslavement-- why most stuff isn't made here... and no one really seems to care, do they?!
Doctor B (White Plains, NY)
It is a sad reflection on the state of our government when Walmart shows more interest in gun safety than does Congress. How untenable it has become for the GOP to so much as claim to have the slightest concern about the epidemic of gun violence afflicting this nation. We need real assertive steps reduce gun violence. It is painfully apparent that Republicans are determined to resist any effort to find a solution to this problem.
Mike (Republic Of Texas)
@Doctor B Maybe the 20 people running for the Democrat nomination could announce their plan to change or eliminate the Second Amendment. That would surly put the wind in the sails of someone looking to promise something other than free healthcare and free college. That would be a real test of their beliefs and prove whether 90% of Americans want sensible gun control. No EOs, no red flag laws, no silly tweaks on the periphery. Just amputate the Second Amendment from the US Constitution. A good topic for the next debate.
n1789 (savannah)
A word of caution from Meaghan McCain, much needed and appreciated. She has said that assault rifles are the most popular weapon in the West and that any attempt to curtail its possession would create violence. I believe this since gun owners are likely to be more violent than non-gun owners by definition. Therefore we need extreme care and good sense in dealing with our proliferation of guns. Do we want another Civil War?
Web (Boston)
@n1789 " I believe this since gun owners are likely to be more violent than non-gun owners by definition" Did you look up that definition under "baseless bigotry"?
n1789 (savannah)
@WebNo, it's common sense.
G G (Boston)
@n1789 It has been my experience that gun owners are more likely to be less violent. Most of the harm caused by firearms is done by people that have mental health issues, and in many cases the individuals acquired the firearms illegally. Most gun owners go out of their way to avoid confrontation. Address the mental health issues and the problem will occur less frequently. It will never totally go away, there are too many people with issues that have access to objects that can cause harm...
Paul S. (Buffalo)
I hope Walmart will go beyond “requesting” that customers not carry guns in their stores. I don’t know the law in all states, but in some states, even those that allow open carry and don’t require permits for concealed carry, a patron would be committing criminal trespass by entering a store with a gun if there is a prominent “no guns allowed” sign at the entrance.
Stephen Beard (Troy, OH)
I'm no huge fan of Walmart or Walmart management, but the company has taken a huge step toward resolving the crisis with military-style weapons -- take away the ammunition. Good for them.
Dominique (Upper West Side, Ny)
I disagree , this is not enough , they didn't even ban their customers from shopping with guns hanging from their belts in their store , they said that they discourage guns owners to walk around with guns , they don't ban them , I am still boycotting the Walmart enabler mentality , they could make a difference , but greed make them complicit criminals.
Noley (New Hampshire)
This is a nice PR play for Wally World and on the surface it is a good thing. But it really just shifts the purchases of ammunition to online or even local stores.
Gloria Hanson (MA)
The motivation does not matter. It is a step in the right direction. No one action can solve this scourge.
AACNY (New York)
@Noley It says nothing about where criminals buy their bullets. Do criminals in Chicago, where a mass shooting can occur on any given weekend, buy their bullets at Walmart? We have to be very careful about reducing gun violence because too many of the measures are "feel good" and won't necessarily reduce gun violence. Measures that make people feel good and that "something" is being done won't necessarily save lives. Is saving lives the entire point of gun restrictions? Or is the real question whose lives appear to be in danger, which would explain "Walmart"?
Joe (Nyc)
So basically we should really do nothing because nothing works completely. Just more thoughts and prayers are all that is needed!
ne ne na (New York)
Regulating, registering and reporting to law enforcement is the only way to get ahead of this. Yes, some make their own bullets, but I don’t believe those people are not potential mass murderers. They are usually hunters who get a kick out of the whole process from stalking, killing and eating their victim. Not angry men looking to assuage their hurt feelings by killing humans.
ne ne na (New York)
@ne ne na Whoops, I mean “I believe...”, not “don’t believe”.
Troutwhisperer (Spokane, Wa.)
The lawsuits are coming for these purveyors of death.
Ruttsy (Chicago)
they are still selling assault weapons..calibrate the praise...
Ancient (Western NY)
"Walmart several years ago stopped selling the type of assault-style rifle that was used in the El Paso shooting," Are you still seeing these rifles in Walmart stores? How recently? Did you read the article before commenting?
Avenue Be (NYC)
I can't carry an AR15 and 300 rounds and a grenade launcher while I'm buying Oreos and milk??? Then we must conclude Wal-mart hates America.
wfw (nyc)
Walmart assumes the mantle of morality that our own government had abandoned.
Ex New Yorker (The Netherlands)
So Walmart now expects the little old man that greets people as they enter the store to effectively disarm customers who are openly carrying a firearm?!?!
David R (Kent, CT)
This is enough of a reason for me to shop at Walmart and actually look for something to buy. The biggest reasons I don't generally shop there is because they aren't generally convenient for me to visit and they often don't carry things that I shop for, Walmart has made some effort to change things, like stocking organic produce. With this new change, I want the entire corporate world profiting from guns and ammo sales (not to mention the spineless politicians who offer their thoughts and prayers and nothing else) to know that people like myself are willing to use our wallets to support companies who take bold action on gun violence.
Anne Hajduk (Fairfax Va)
Message to NRA: you haven't been elected to ANYTHING. You are in the minority, and if you didn't have money and threats to throw around at weak politicians you'd be in the dustbin of history.
Jude Parker Stevens (Chicago, IL)
It’s easy to slow the gun problem: 1. You have to be 21 to buy a gun 2. At the time of purchase you have to show you have a license to use the gun and insurance to cover the destruction it may cause. 3. You need to go to gun school to learn how to properly store and discharge and clean the gun. At the end of that training you get a learner’s permit. After 12 months you have a full blown license. Every 7 years you have to get your license renewed. If you got a ticket or into any trouble related to your weapon, you rack up points, if you have too many points you can get your license taken taken away (and your gun impounded) or you might need to retake the gun class. There are many ways to regulate the rights and responsibilities of gun ownership. All that is needed is the public will to do so and the political will to carry it out. Or we can keep having these (mostly) young angry (mostly) white boys lash out at society and kill masses of people all at once.
Denise (Philadelphia)
Thank you! I can’t understand why the steps to gun ownership are not like those to driving and owning a car. Basics like mandatory insurance, education (not just paid membership to the NRA) and registration that must be renewed are reasonable. As the 2nd Amendment says, well regulated.
AACNY (New York)
@Jude Parker Stevens The problem is that the majority of legal gun owners are the most experienced and knowledgeable in the area of gun safety. You can impose additional regulations on them but you will not affect the criminals. Laws already in existence have little impact. Criminals don't obey laws. The issue then is how to keep guns out of the hands of "criminals". Too many of the proposals deal with guns in responsible owners' hands. There's a continuum from legal gun owner to criminal. We need to start at the end where the criminals acquire guns not at the end where the legal gun owners acquire them.
Jude Parker Stevens (Chicago, IL)
Agreed! But more scrutiny in the system will make everyone more vigilant to the criminality.
Roland Maurice (Sandy,Oregon)
All praise to a Walmart & specifically to the employees who have stood their ground & have done the right thing... and oppose the NRA.
Vonda Bradbury (Orlando, FL)
Thank you, Walmart, for leading the way to saner policies regarding guns.
pb (calif)
Corporations dont need the NRA as much as the NRA needs them. Its time they stood up and said enough is enough. The NRA mgmt has taken money and used it on extravagant salaries, perks and political donations. Costco should join in and so far its mgmt has been mum although they just had an in-store shooting in Calif.
Darcy (USA)
This puts me in the uncomfortable position of wanting to support Walmart for this (how pathetic that it should be considered) brave stand. I abhor their labor practices and do not shop there. But I salute them for this.
Mike (Republic Of Texas)
Hooray for Walmart. Their action won't prevent the next mass shooting. But, if it could, that would be fantastic. In fairness to both sides, Walmart could put up a big digital clock marking the time since the last mass shooting. A word to those that bad mouth the government's inability to stop mass shootings. You are talking about a sovereign government that can't stop an invasion of peasants. If the US can't hold back women and children, it is clearly no match for a well armed psychopath.
Dr. Conde (Medford, MA.)
A good start, Walmart. For every crazy gun lover you lose as a customer(how many guns can one person own, as many as shoes?) you will gain others you are less afraid to shop in your store. Guns should be sold in gun stores to people who have licenses.
B.Sharp (Cinciknnati)
Also being in OH it is open carry, Great Walmart is showing a path to others by responding to peoples cry for their loses.
George (Fla)
It’s not enough! Stop selling guns and ammunition. Hire guards to make sure nobody is armed entering any Wal Mart. If people want to enter store armed call police immediately!
Mike (Republic Of Texas)
@George Just like schools. Yes.
Gary (Oslo)
Open carry in stores? If I ever went into any store and saw someone with a gun on them, I would immediately turn around and leave!
Dr. B (New York)
It's laughable how the NRA touts free market economy as an enabler of the 2nd ammendment but turns on the invisible hand the moment a company makes a decision with which they don't agree. Walmart is free to cease its sales.
Ellwood Nonnemacher (Pennsylvania)
It was only the fact that the attack took place in a Walmart that this "seemingly" bold action was taken. Had it not, it would still be business as usual and when the memory of the attack fades, and it will like all the other mass shootings, it will return to business as usual.
Marge Keller (Midwest)
"Walmart stepped forcefully into the national gun debate on Tuesday, saying it would stop selling ammunition that can be used in military-style assault rifles" So just how difficult was that decision? Amazing that Walmart has more brass than Congress.
Greg (US)
Tired of seeing the “discourage weapons being carried in our stores” statement. Stores are private property and any company has the right to refuse entry to someone as long as that refusal is not based on the refused persons status with regard to protected classes. Last I checked, “gun owner” is not a protected class so, any store can refuse entry to someone carrying a firearm and be within their legal right. I keep saying this and I wont stop; One persons right to take a life is not more important than another’s right to live life.
Konrad Gelbke (Bozeman)
The company makes a step in the right direction, putting lives over profit. Voters need to follow up and throw Republicans out of office if the want this carnage to stop. Only then may the country approach what other countries have achieved by using common sense legislation.
Guido Malsh (Cincinnati)
Having the morals and the power to channel outrage into courage is a shining example of what true American business is capable of achieving. Let's hope what follows is a domino theory of increased safety, not the ever increasing senseless loss of innocent life.
panales (Shelter Island, NY)
I applaud Walmart for a courageous business decision. A step towards a safer America.
James Fitzpatrick (Richardson Tx)
Enough with weapons meant for war. I understand hunting and target shooting and had lots of fun doing both. I never needed more than a few rounds for hunting or to reload a couple of times at the range. I do not understand the interest in assault weapons. Exposure to violent movies? I darn sure don’t like the feeling I get now days when my wife goes for groceries at Walmart. I honestly can’t get it out of my mind. That’s something to ponder - the thought of a loved one getting killed by an assault weapon while shopping for groceries for the week. The right to keep and bear arms does not include threatening everyday life and having citizens sweating going to a public place. I can’t see having a weapon at one of these murdering sprees doing any good without some serious training. Most people would run for their lives first or get run over and then remember they had a gun later.
Greg (US)
Violent movies have nothing to do with it. The majority of assault weapons owners are former military and wannabe military. They have a comfort and familiarity with those weapons.
Peak Oiler (Richmond, VA)
I refuse to stay in any business that has open carry. After seeing it, I leave, purchases in a cart by the manager’s office. I tell the manager why and write the company. We can turn this madness around. Wal-Mart did the right thing.
B.Sharp (Cinciknnati)
I should give credit where it is do. What trump and his administration failed to do Walmart did that. Thank you. So i do not need to boycott Walmart any longer.
no one special (does it matter)
The next thing I would like to see is a gun buy back program. Wouldn't it be great if Walmart would put it's mammoth weight behind a sweeping gun buy back program to get them off the street?
HW Keiser (Alberta,)
Guns don’t kill, bullets do, and Walmart has figured that out. Perhaps now someone will figure out that ammunition purchases should require proof of insurance. Let the insurance providers set the rates for each caliber and let them record and track purchases by buyer. Establish a pool where victims and emergency responders can access the premium to cover the costs of someone murdering school children and people practicing their religion, or using a bump stock to fire on a concert venue. Has anyone calculated the direct costs of that little exercise in Second Amendment Rights? I imagine an actuary working in the private sector could.
Richard (Palm City)
It is really easy. I will not go into any business where there is open carry.
LocalDog (North Florida)
Finally, a bit of sanity has risen above the muck. Thank you, Walmart.
Joe B (Atlanta, Georgia)
Thank you Walmart for taking a stand for increasing sensible gun control. Eliminating the loopholes in background checks and banning assault guns make sense. I believe the majority of Americans stand with you.
RosaHugonis (Sun City Center, FL)
I've never thought much of Walmart because of the way they take advantage of their workers. But they've stood up tall this time, bucking the NRA and doing what our senators are too spineless to do. Now I'll shop at Walmart.
Icy (DC)
I will not start shopping at Walmart until they are more fully reformed, which includes paying a living wage. However, I support this current move in the right direction. If Walmart continues apace, I may be shopping there too some day.
Postette (New York)
Why don't they just stop selling all guns and all ammunition? I don't understand what everyone is so excited about. If someone wants to shoot a duck, let them go shop at the shoot-a-duck store. All of these retailers should get out of the lethal weapon business they should have never entered to begin with.
josh (LA)
“The strongest defense of freedom has always been our free-market economy,” the group added. “It is shameful to see Walmart succumb to the pressure of the anti-gun elites.” But I suppose it is not shameful for all the time Walmart has been succumbing to the NRA elite pressure. Bloody hypocrites have nothing to argue when they are losing the debate.
Anne Hajduk (Fairfax Va)
And in a free market economy, businesses are free to. sell or not sell whatever they want. The NRA comment makes zero sense.
Freak (Melbourne)
How many bodies did it take the Walton family?! How many more bodies will it take then to do even more?! How many more bodies will it take the politicians who enable this to stop?!
BG (NY, NY)
What does "Discourage ‘Open Carry" really mean? I think it's a PR stunt because the people that feel they need a gun to go to Walmart, or leave their house for that matter, will flip Walmart "the bird."
ERT (New York)
“Discourage open carry” is an innocuous phrase that means nothing. Walmart has fired employees who have tried to stop shoplifters: they’re not going to risk an employee’s life by having them confront people with guns. If anything, the store will call the police and let them handle it.
Tom (United States)
The idea of “armed shopping” was unthinkable when I was growing up. How did we stray so far?
Dr. John (Seattle)
Liberals using their 1A are telling us 2A only applies to muskets because AR’s were not invented yet. How about they get off their computer, write us a letter with a quill pen, have it delivered by a man on a horse, and then we can begin to discuss how wrong they are.
ERT (New York)
Or, how about we treat gun ownership as a privilege, not a right? You can’t drive a car without showing you can handle it, and the same should go for guns. This is why it’s time to repeal the Second Amendment.
Lilo (Michigan)
@ERT No. It is not time to repeal the Second Amendment. But if you believe that it is you need to count all of your supporters and see if they add up to 2/3 of both chambers of Congress and 3/4 of the states. I'm betting they don't.
AIR (Broolkyn)
2A was passed in about 1787, when no one would consider disarming citizens facing Indian tribes on the fronter. It was passed to protect slave patrols needed to control the enormous slave population. The fear was that otherwise the new Congress might end slavery by disarming those patrols. Slave rebellion was the greatest fear in that period. Without strict gun possession by whites, slaves could not be subject to such attrocities as having their children taken from them and sold and forced into hard labor for life. Justice Thomas stood that on its head by arguing that the 2A was intended to arm blacks to protect themselves. Justice Scalia first interpreted the 2A without it's preamble and then treated the preamble as an afterthought. Heller was an attrocious 5 to 4 misunderstanding of the 1787 mindset. People die as a result long after the abolition of slavery. Along with the victims of gun abuse and chattel slavery, the 2A should be buried.
✅Dr. TLS ✅ (Austin, Texas)
America’s government is so pathetic that it has to rely on Walmart to protect voters. Time to cancel the Mitch and Donald show, and elect some one who cares at least as much as a corporation.
Ted (Chicago)
I suppose it’s commendable, even after thousands upon thousands have already died.
NickBCN (Barcelona)
“The strongest defense of freedom has always been our free-market economy,” the group added. “It is shameful to see Walmart succumb to the pressure of the anti-gun elites.” Doesn't a free market dictate that Walmart is allowed to sell or not sell whatever they want? And would it be less shameful if they succumbed to the pressure of pro-gun goofballs?
Miguel Galvão (Lisboa)
Know your freedoms, and dissect liberal economics : being civilized and learning that the state can be a provider of healthcare (amongst many other things that some believe it’s okay for others not to have if they can’t pay for them) doesn’t make you less American, and it certainly won’t turn you into a socialist. As for NRA, they know exactly what they’re doing, and they’re not truly bothered with ethics or values
Canewielder (US/UK)
It’s a shame that our lawmakers don’t have the courage or the common sense to stand up against the NRA and do something constructive to stop the senseless slaughter of our citizens. I applaud Walmart for their courage to start doing something positive toward stopping our nations gun toting insanity.
Cheryl (Seattle)
Tiny bravo for Walmart. But it’s a start. If I saw a person carrying a gun in a store, besides security, I would head for the nearest exit and buy nothing. Go hunting if you must but keep that gun away from the open public.
W. Michael O'Shea (Flushing, NY)
Forget about "limiting" ammunition sales and "discouraging" open carrying of guns in your stores. Just don't sell any ammo and don't permit any guns in your stores.
michjas (Phoenix)
Let’s not be naive. This is not about gun control. It is a business decision. First of all, Walmart is concerned about bad publicity. After El Paso, a Walmart tie to another mass shooting would single it out as a big part of the problem. And that could bring economic harm to the company. Since gun sales are not a major money maker for Walmart it makes business sense to avoid the PR Risk. There also is a slight possibility that the company could be held liable for a subsequent shooting notwithstanding the general immunity granted gun retailers under the law. If there were to be another Walmart mass shooting the publicity would be so harmful in so many ways that Walmart needs to distance itself from NRA types. You can heap praise on the company for being a good citizen. But this is just good business.
Thomas (Vermont)
I’m having trouble trying to picture what it must be like to live in an area where people feel that it’s necessary to openly carry a weapon into a store. What kind of paranoia makes someone do that? I don’t think this country is able to sustain itself as a union any more. I’ve traveled to all the states except for five in the Deep South and Alaska. I’ve seen guns and have fired guns but the craziness around the issue has gotten way out of hand.
Tom (Florida)
I don’t shop very often at Walmart but I intend make a point of spending money there more frequently.
Neildsmith (Kansas City)
And the rest of us can do our part by calling the police whenever we see someone carrying a weapon... let the police decide if the person is a risk. And if that causes a problem at some business... oh well. That’s the cost of open carry.
Lilo (Michigan)
@Neildsmith So you think the police murder of John Crawford was a good thing? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_John_Crawford_III
Chris Bowling (Blackburn, Mo.)
"Discourage" open carry of firearms in their store? So 22 die at an El Paso Walmart, and the safety of those and other customers is of so little concern to the company that "discourage" weapons is the best they can do? I find that "discouraging," and very disappointing. I "discourage" consumers to put themselves at risk by shopping in a store that cares so little about their safety. The Second Amendment may or may not prevent the open carrying of firearms in public -- that depends on the whims of SCOTUS -- but there is no prohibition on private property, such as a retail outlet. If I had to ability to organize such a movement, it would be sweet if shoppers who oppose gun violence to bring their (unloaded) weapons to Walmarts nationwide. If dozens of customers at a time were walking around Walmarts with guns, it would change the minds of non-armed shoppers. I think that would "discourage" Walmart execs from taking such a limp stance toward customer safety.
Karen (The world)
I applaud this small step forward by Walmart for the simple reason that it keeps the appalling epidemic of mass shootings in the public forum. However to truly see any solutions to this problem, this falls on the American citizenry. As a former Republican, David Jolly, so succinctly stated weeks ago, only by voting out all Republicans, will Americans see any progress on this terrible issue.
Dr. John (Seattle)
Buybacks programs are a feel-good fantasy.
R. Crenshaw (Detroit, MI)
I never thought I'd say this, but good on Walmart for doing the right thing. They could have done it sooner and they could have completely stopped selling guns and ammunition, but this is a good move on their part. i hope other retailers follow. A smart move.
Caesar Ricci (c3global)
I went shopping last night at a Walmart SuperCenter in the south Texas border region with my 3 year old son and his mother. I could not stop thinking about the recent massacre in El Paso while trying to shop. I felt uneasy. I felt they were at unnecessary risk just for being there. I thought about the young mother and father murdered while trying to shield their baby. The thought of those poor random innocent people just trying to buy household good—slaughtered like animals—kept passing through my mind. I wanted to ask the employees what steps had been taken by Wallmart to help prevent a repeat massacre. This step by Wallmart is an encouraging one (though long overdue), but many more are needed. Our nation is sick and has lost its rightful mind regarding ownership of firearms. Gun ownership is a freedom, but it comes with great responsibilty. Freedom with responsibility. We as a country have failed to be responsible with guns, and now is the time to correct our course. All stakeholders need to come to the table and make a contribution. We need universal background checks, we need red flag laws, and we need to ban military style assault rifles and high capacity magazines. Let’s keep the pressure on and not wait for more mass shootings to force the needed changes.
Karen (The world)
@Caesar Ricci. The only way to ensure these well founded solutions are legislated is to vote all Republicans out of office.
seniordem (CT)
Assault weapons belong in the arsenal of an Infantry Military unit and not on the streets or available on line or other non approppriate place. The concept of limiting large capacity clips is a start but the ammo is still in the store and for sale of course. These clips have no use for hunting or other non military purpose. Not selling the ammo for assault rifles is a great start toward stopping the glamour of gun actions by disturbed individuals. No ammo, no assault iattack. Jonnu Cash sang a song "Don't take your guns to town' son" noting the glamour and tragic results such a plea shows when a family has to deal with before the person gains gun wisdom after a few years and the young man's caultural identy is formed.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@seniordem The U.S. Supreme Court disagrees with you. The US Supreme Court usually upholds its precedents. In US v. Miller, 307 US 174 (1939), the Court held that the Second Amendment protects ownership of military-type firearms. Miller, a career criminal and a fugitive, was not represented. No one told the Court that the weapon at issue - a sawed-off shotgun - was widely used by front-line US troops in World War I. The Germans - outraged by combat use of a "hunting" weapon - protested via the Swiss (neutrals). The US rejected the German protest, see: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1918Supp02/d912 . In 1939, there were many front-line war-fighters, who had found sawed-off shotguns to be very effective for clearing trenches. Our Courts rule based on evidence. The Miller Court had no evidence that sawed-off shotguns had recently been a common combat weapon. Semi-auto firearms, about which many fulminate, derive from military-issue rifles. Ownership of semi-auto weapons plainly is protected by the Second Amendment. Further, the term "assault rifle" is a direct translation of the Nazis' name for their self-loading rifle introduced in the Fall of 1943. The US has never used "assault" as part of the name for any standard-issue Army or Marine Corps firearm. Thus, The M-249 SAW is the "Squad Automatic Weapon". As the Nazi regime was genodical - they murdered some 13,000,000 - Nazi terms should not be used except when quoting from documents of that era.
DREU💤 (Bluesky)
I don’t know if this is a marketing stun but i welcome it.
Robin F (Los Angeles)
“The company said that after “selling through our current inventory commitments,” which could take several weeks, it would stop selling certain short-barrel rifle ammunition and all handgun ammunition.” Doublespeak for: making profits to the bitter end. They can’t just pull it all now? Nope.
Alabama (Independent)
I cannot think of a single reason why anyone would open carry weapons anywhere in public. I do not intend to be around it and will loudly protest if I observe it. I do not intend to let these gun toters feel comfortable displaying their weapons. The reason they are getting away with it is because people feel intimidated into silence. No more. Not for me.
Tom (USA)
I can think of plenty of reasons. Just ask the people of Venezuela or Hong Kong. Or ask the single mother who gets off at 2 am and has to walk home from the bus stop through a bad neighborhood. Or the natives in Alaska who are prey to wildlife without one. Some people need a nuclear option.
Alabama (Independent)
@Tom Nope. We do not need vigilantes pretending to be cops on the beat. The stores should provide metal detectors, guards, and ample security. I don't want you or anyone else open carrying around me.
Sally (Switzerland)
Limiting open carry in stores? In Switzerland, no guns would be allowed in stores period, and I certainly would not want to go into a store where customers might have guns. How about simply BANNING any weapons in Walmart stores period!!!
NancyJ (Spokane, WA)
@Sally So sad we are so far behind so many countries in basic gun laws. This is a step but such a tiny, tiny one.
Bill (NW Outpost)
Discourage? Texas law allows any company or institution to simply post an official sign that says open carry of guns is not permitted in this store. It's a better solution for discouragement. Of course they could go a lot further and stop selling arms and ammo altogether.
Andy (Paris)
I think the article notes "laws vary in each state". Are you suggesting a federal approach?
Bill (NW Outpost)
@Andy - I was speaking only to Texas law as crazy as all of the parts of it are. Of course, this decision by Walmart is a decent step, but also exposes the glaring omissions in addressing the issue of guns by everyone. Personally and sadly, I'm convinced that nothing will come of any approach to the problem of guns in this country as proven by the inaction after the slaughter of children at Sandy Hook - Newtown, Conn.
karen (Florida)
Walmart has a huge footprint in our country. It is incumbent upon them to lead on this issue. Actually I would love to see them be one of the leaders who speak out against these weapons of mass destruction on a regular basis. I hope they ban all carrying in their stores. Leave that to security personnel. It really does take a village.
Average Citizen (Kingston ny)
@karen They've certainly lead in destroying many small businesses
RBSF (San Francisco)
That a company that used to sell guns and ammo itself now believes its stores would be safer without guns is a powerful message.
Speakin4Myself (OxfordPA)
Open carry & bearing arms? In your yard? In your store? Maybe, but don't think that means you can bring them on My land, on My property, in My car, in MY store. Every Walmart in America is private property. Likewise pretty much every store, gas station, church, home, and apartment. Your permit may be good at home or in some legally public spaces, but I have the right to defend myself and my family from you and any other dangerous people carrying guns on my land. Unless you have a warrant. Our local gun club is on private land. Keep and bear there. If a gun store sells guns, that is a legal, regulated private business. McDonalds does not sell guns or ammo, and neither should 7-11 or Walmart. If they choose not to, that is their legal, constitutional right. Will @Dave likewise refuse to do business with every other business that does not sell guns? Doesn't every merchant have the constitutional right to choose not to sell various products, or does that only apply to wedding cakes?
David Castle (Melbourne)
What more evidence do you need that the US is deeply dysfunctional when it is controversial for a department store to decide that it doesn't want customers to openly carry guns! I'm incredibly happy to live in a country where by biggest concern going in to my local Walmart-like shop is falling for yet another cheap toaster that doesn't toast properly ...
NancyJ (Spokane, WA)
@David Castle If only we were so lucky.
BG (NY, NY)
Anytime Walmart does something altruistic I have to wonder because it's certainly not in their mission statement. Public pressure must be mounting and sales must be falling for them to do this. I'll venture a guess that the majority of Walmart shoppers are very pro 2nd Amendment so they don't want to alienate those customers. I don't, however, recall anything in the 2nd Amendment about the quantity of ammo that can be purchased at one time which is a huge issue. "I want my 15 minutes of fame" murderers is one of the bigger issues. As an aside, I would like to see if what the effect might be if EVERY news and social media outlet refused to acknowledge a shooter by name or publish a photo. Would the mass shooting rate go down? I'm so tired of all the bloviating about the 2nd Amendment; the "NRA subset" are paranoid about their guns being taken away and that has not happened. They don't want to give an inch for the greater good. Just because there's one style of rifle on the market doesn't mean you have to own it...there are plenty others. There are more guns in this country than people. Limiting ammo is a start but real (non-loophole) laws are needed along with a lot of other programs. I find it ironic that Walmart/Walton Family) doesn't pay their employees well enough or provide affordable health insurance so some employees require subsidies. The Waltons want to pay lower taxes & keep more money. They didn't even offer up thoughts and prayers after the latest shooting. $$$
P Grey (Park City)
Bravo Walmart. More companies should step up where politicians are seemingly afraid to go.
Steve (New York)
In the old west, many towns banned the carrying of guns inside town limits to prevent gun violence. Obviously when it comes to guns in America, Darwin was wrong. We are devolving into neanderthals.
Barbara Mohon (Santa Fe, NM)
Thank you, Walmart. I will begin shopping there again.
Dustin (Illinois)
Another corporate idea that will not change anything. Merchandise sold that is made by children in China. What about alcohol and tobacco products? Liver, cancer and social problems but hold on, excellent margins there especially in poor areas which Walmart thrives in. Socialist America here we come. Responsible guns owners should boycott Walmart as in Dicks Sporting. Walmart is such a moral compass.... really people?
Robert (Out west)
On this topic, you betcha. It’s the right thing to do, and it costs them money. Nice try, though.
Jane K (Northern California)
One problem at a time.
Andy (Paris)
"What about..." So this really is the level of thinking by gun advocates ?
Star (Canada)
Respect Walmart! Isn’t it time to invest in free therapy and education rather than war and hatred which requires gun?
Pragmatist (California)
Congratulations to Walmart's CEO for acting like a leader. If only we had more like him in Washington.
Third.Coast (Earth)
Google your way to youtube videos of people "expressing their second amendment rights" by openly carrying rifles into Starbucks and malls and along public streets. It is a delicious irony that pro-gun, anti-government police (who will retire on government pensions) have to argue with gun "enthusiasts" who insist on carrying high powered rifles in public just because they can.
Wolf (Out West)
This is a creditable necessary and courageous act of corporate responsibility. Kudos Mr McMillon. The NRA membership needs to rethink why a hunter and gun safety training organization has been converted into a Faith Column and Wayne La Pierre’s haberdasher.
Mark Andrew (Folsom)
Wow. What if every major retailer followed that example, and yes, banned guns in their stores. “No shirt, no shoes, no service. Guns not allowed under any circumstances, violators will be videoed and trespassing charges will be filed without fail. Photos of violators will be posted at our entrance.” You may have the right to bear arms, but especially today, you have no right to keep it a secret. If I were to see a sign like that in a store I would not only tell all my friends, I would buy their stock and know I had a good investment. The NRA is losing the hearts and minds battle, and it shows their desperation when they suggest boycotting companies who make safety of their customers a priority.
Steve (Los Angeles)
Walmart feels like they have to make a profit and guns are apparently important to their profit picture. I just finished writing a letter to to Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, because apparently they can't keep Hanes Sport Men's X-Temp Performance Training Pants with Pockets in stock. On one hand they wave the American Flag, protecting the 2nd Amendment rights of a few Americans and they can't honor American Capitalism and Free Enterprise System by keeping his stores properly stocked.
Drew (Tokyo)
"The retailer largely avoids politics, . . . " You're not avoiding politics if you sell guns. You've taken a clear stand and are profiting from it.
Nancy (Winchester)
You're also not "avoiding politics " if your corporation is donating large amount of money to the campaigns of gun rights supporters, as Walmart does in Texas and other red states.
M (Colorado)
I believe it’s a cost / benefit analysis on Walmart’s part. It’s only a matter of time before a news story breaks ...that a shooter bought their guns or ammo at Walmart. How much money do they make on ammo VS how much money would they lose in a boycott. Add in the goodwill from today’s announcement and it is a good corporate business decision.
Carol B (NYC)
I’ve been boycotting Walmart for years due its sale of guns and ammo. There’s one customer who will be returning!
David (Portland, OR)
After the recent shootings at Walmart, a lot of customers will probably walk to the exits, before purchasing anything, if they see someone carrying a gun in the store. The only way to know if an armed person in the store is not a threat, is whether or not they start shooting, which is too late. Also, it should be noted that many state capitols of red states forbid carrying weapons into the capitol buildings. So if guns can be banned from state capitol buildings, why cannot they be banned from Walmart stores?
Sharon (Tn)
I must admit, I skipped shopping at my Walmart after the shootings in Tx. I figured any Walmart could be seen as a place to make a statement with a firearm. Maybe there were a lot of folks thinking the same thing, and sales or branding went down. Either way, I’m glad they are doing something, and that’s more than congress is doing. I’m just not sure about this being a completely magnanimous gesture.
slogan (California)
Some kid who would have been shot in the future by a handgun or bullet sold at a Walmart will now live to adulthood because of today’s decision. Don’t know who that child is, and it doesn’t matter - just the thought of it makes me happy.
SParker (Brooklyn)
By taking a rather timid step, this not very admired company shows its ethical superiority to the president and just about every Republican member of Congress.
Henry Rawlinson (uk)
Dear American "cousins". We Brits are no longer in a position to invade our former colony, we have enough distractions of our own, and so you probably no longer need "a well regulated militia". The problem seems to be that if all of your citizens are allowed to own very dangerous weapons, it is easy for somebody with a grudge to kill many innocent people in a very short time. Perhaps limiting sales of ammunition for assault weapons will help, but a meaningful solution seems rather more complicated than that.
dbezerkeley (CA)
Walmart can continue to meet the needs of their rural customers with shotguns and rifles and ammunition designed for hunting, which is what most of them want anyway
Laurel (Alaska)
I’m glad Walmart is taking these actions. More proof that politics in the US is completely stunted, and that putting pressure on corporations is, sadly, more effective than lobbying our national representatives, who appear incapable of making any meaningful action until their corporate counterparts make the first move.
hen3ry (Westchester, NY)
I guess they'll lose their NRA backers. I'd like to know why it took an attack at one of their stores for them to make this decision. Did they think that they'd be exempt from the violence that is affecting everyone? They still won't get my business given how they underpay their employees and encourage them to rely upon the government for what they themselves refuse to supply: money enough to have a decent life.
Paul (NC)
@hen3ry Actually, there are websites exclusively devoted to Walmart shootings. Perhaps the recent massacres brought them to the attention of the P.R. department .
hen3ry (Westchester, NY)
@Paul PR meaning Public Regret Department as in we regret having to acknowledge that something we sell or allow might kill others.
Joshua (Riverside, CA)
I’m glad to see Walmart move in the right direction, however many dead and wounded later. At the end of the day, we cannot count on businesses to do what is right and safe for human beings. They are only as faithful as their profit margins allow.
Ted In Atlanta (Atlanta)
Just want to say thank you, WalMart. A positive gesture of leadership; hope this is is a trend.
dutchiris (Berkeley, CA)
A lot of talk about selling guns and ammunition. When do we turn over the rock and watch the manufacturers crawl out?
dutchiris (Berkeley, CA)
Better if Walmart went beyond "discouraging" open carry in their stores and banned it. Why would people need to come into their stores armed? It has done nothing to stop the massacres so far.
Truthsayer (San Fran)
I commend Walmart for being prepared to forgo its constitutional and legal rights to sell and profit from the sale of weapons that are causing carnage on the streets of America on an all too frequent basis in the name of what is the morally right thing to do. Shame the NRA and GOP law makers haven't got the moral decency or backbone to do the same.
S Butler (New Mexico)
Walmart has done something. It's not enough, but it could be a start. Better than nothing. Here's one thing that could be done. Force gun manufacturers to only manufacture guns that do NOT have a removable magazine (clips). Internal magazines only. Have a size limit. INCLUDING PISTOLS. How about no more than 4 or 5 round internal magazines only? You can hunt with that. I only used two cartridges at a time when I hunted deer. If you can't hit a deer with two shots, the deer will be long gone before you could fire a third shot. Also, if you can't hit a deer with two shots, you're not entitled to a third shot. Shotguns are better than pistols or military-style weapons for home defense. Burglars are more afraid of a shotgun in the hands of someone that knows how to use one than any other weapon. Give me a 12 gauge with 00 buckshot, and no burglar will make it past the door or window they try to enter through. This mass murder craziness has to stop. Sensible gun control is the answer.
Father of One (Oakland)
"Discourage" open carry? How about ban? Simply discouraging won't do a thing. Walmart can outright ban open carry if they really wanted.
Becky Beech I (California)
What does the law provide?
Maria (France)
As usual, corporations are stepping up and making the laws while the impotent government is asleep.
BW (Canada)
America needs more acts of bravery, and less bravado.
L (NYC)
On the one hand, this is a big step in the right direction from a store with a huge presence. One the other hand, with so many other ways for people to buy guns and laws against murder already on the books, is this really going to make anyone safer or stop any of these mass shootings? I don’t want to be a downer, but probably not. Mass shooters are not going to be deterred. This request from Walmart, in fact, will probably only motivate some of them even more to carry out their mass shootings in a Walmart.
Summer Smith (Dallas)
Thank you, Walmart and Kroger for trying to make our shopping venues safer. There is no need for open carry of long arms in the grocery store or to get your oil changed. And Walmart deserves a special shout out for limiting the ammo they will sell. The People will vote with their wallets. There’s more of us than there are of them.
Desert Gal (New Mexico)
Large corporations can wield great power but they are very slow and deliberative in their actions. When they do act, their actions echo wide-spread sentiment. WalMart's decision to no longer carry ammunition for military-style assault rifles and discouraging open carry in their stores is a solid business decision, one based on national sentiments that the polling has substantiated over the past several years. Look at how Coca Cola stood up to the white elitists in Atlanta back in 1964 when they decided to shun Martin Luther King, Jr. and a banquet in his honor, celebrating his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Coca Cola exerted its pressure in hometown Atlanta and its CEO, J. Paul Austin stated that "Coca-Cola cannot stay in a city that's going to have this kind of reaction and not honor a Nobel Peace Prize winner". With that kind of ultimatum, the elitists ponied up for the banquet. OK, OK, so racism is not totally equivalent with our pro-gun culture but this trend has a similarity of clinging to the past and wilfully blinding itself to negative effects on our society. Bottom line (no pun intended) is that when corporate America weighs in on social matters, change happens. Right now we are doing a bunny hop with the Trump presidency, and we are one step back but pretty soon, we are moving a couple of hops forward.
Donna (NYC)
I applaud Walmart for taking the right decision. Now, if only the lawmakers could be as wise.
LA Woman (LA)
Applaud what? Walmart sells guns that kill people.
Samuel (Brooklyn)
Baby steps are still steps. This is at least a little encouraging.
scottlauck (Kansas City, MO)
Perhaps Walmart could go further and tackle other social ills. To fight the scourge of smartphone addiction, the company should ban sales of all android-compatible chargers. Once the heaviest social media users find they can't buy a new aftermarket car charger at their local Walmart, they'll likely just allow their phones to die, never bothering to find an alternative way to charge their phones.
jpritchard (Sequim, WA)
Thank God for some common sense from Wal Mart. We can only hope that other retailers will follow. Until we get a handle over the unrestricted access to military grade firearms and 100 round clips, we're just waiting for the next mass shooting. It won't be long.
Dr. John (Seattle)
@jpritchard What military grade firearms are in the hands of civilians?
mjpezzi (orlando)
The citizens of the USA are beyond a tipping point. It's money flowing into the political parties and money to candidates, and plenty of lobbyist pressure that has the US Senate (not the US House) putting on the brakes, in spite of the fact that 80% of people polled said they want much stricter gun laws. 1. Require everyone to take a hands-on gun safety class and get a certificate before buying any firearm -- 2. Require an advanced hands-on gun safety class before buying anything other than a hunting rifle. 3. Define and BAN military-style assault weapons and high powered "cop killer" ammo. If the NRA did not exist, we would have common sense solutions to gun violence. Required gun safety classes would be a great way to sort out folks who have mental health issues. Gun safety classes would be the perfect time to run a background check. Possession of firearms by people, who have not gone through the proper gun safety classes would be a crime. The Second Amendment talks about a well organized militia... Gun safety would seem to fit with that idea.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@mjpezzi You are in error. The US Supreme Court usually upholds its precedents. In US v. Miller, 307 US 174 (1939), the Court held that the Second Amendment protects ownership of military-type firearms. Miller, a career criminal and a fugitive, was not represented. No one told the Court that the weapon at issue - a sawed-off shotgun - was widely used by front-line US troops in World War I. The Germans - outraged by combat use of a "hunting" weapon - protested via the Swiss (neutrals). The US rejected the German protest, see: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1918Supp02/d912 . In 1939, there were many front-line war-fighters, who had found sawed-off shotguns to be very effective for clearing trenches. Our Courts rule based on evidence. The Miller Court had no evidence that sawed-off shotguns had recently been a common combat weapon. Semi-auto firearms, about which many fulminate, derive from military-issue rifles. Ownership of semi-auto weapons plainly is protected by the Second Amendment. Even if there were no Second Amendment,"gun control" is a bad idea. In the 20th Century, some 50,000,000 - including millions of children - were murdered by officials of governments "gone bad". In Ottoman Turkey, Stalin's Russia, Nazi Germany, Mao's China, Guatemala (1965-86), Idi Amin's Ugand, Pol Pot's Cambodia, and Rwanda (1994), "gun control" laws promoted genocides. Behind "gun control's" dazzling façade is a nasty reality: mountains of corpses.
Paul (NC)
@Jay E. Simkin More American civilians than soldiers in all our wars have been killed by guns. Multiply that by about 2.5 for the number of wounded or maimed civilians.
Sharon (Salem, OR)
Thank you for having the guts to do what our senators will not.
Thorny (New York)
@Sharon. guts? Walmart makes no decisions based on what is morally correct as others have pointed out on this board. The family that owns & directs Walmart are right-wingers who have donated huge amounts to pro-gun legislators and who exploit their work force, and drive small businesses out of existence. This new policy is a PR move that they have judged to be of monetary value in some way.
RC (Orange, NJ)
@Sharon..Huh? This really does nothing and accepting this as such underscores why so little has been done. If we continue to view such futile actions as worthy of praise why would we get any real action of this issue? It took no "guts" to do something as meaningless as this.
Luccia (New York)
A very small start but something. Still, seen as avoiding being being ‘political’ while profiting from that stance is not really apolitical.
Summer Smith (Dallas)
Profiting would mean continuing to sell the ammo. They really can’t win this some people.
Bob (Evanston, IL)
The so-called conservatives who argue for an expansive view of the Second Amendment are also strict constructionists of the Constitution: they believe that the Constitution should be construed according to the intent of its drafters. So, maybe they can tell us how the drafters of the Second Amendment in the late 1780s intended that there should be unlimited sale and use of AR15s, cop-killer bullets and banana clip magazines. As far as I can determine, when the Second Amendment was written, the only weapons available were single shot flintlock pistols and rifles which required insertion of a powder charge before a ball was inserted with a ramrod. If the so-called conservatives had any intellectual integrity, they would be arguing that the Second Amendment is limited to those kinds of weapons.
Diogenes ('Neath the Pine Tree's Stately Shadow)
Then I suppose, for purposes of the First Amendment, the "press" is limited to using movable lead typed sorted by hand in a old-fashioned printing press, and no bullhorns or other means of electronically amplifying voices are allowed to be used as part of a peaceable assembly?
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Bob You should get and read the Supreme Court's decisions in Heller (2008) and McDonald (2010). You might also want to read the Court's 1939 Miller decision. The US Supreme Court usually upholds its precedents. In US v. Miller, 307 US 174 (1939), the Court held that the Second Amendment protects ownership of military-type firearms. Miller, a career criminal and a fugitive, was not represented. No one told the Court that the weapon at issue - a sawed-off shotgun - was widely used by front-line US troops in World War I. The Germans - outraged by combat use of a "hunting" weapon - protested via the Swiss (neutrals). The US rejected the German protest, see: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1918Supp02/d912 . In 1939, there were many front-line war-fighters, who had found sawed-off shotguns to be very effective for clearing trenches. Our Courts rule based on evidence. The Miller Court had no evidence that sawed-off shotguns had recently been a common combat weapon. Semi-auto firearms, about which many fulminate, derive from military-issue rifles. Ownership of semi-auto weapons plainly is protected by the Second Amendment.
slogan (California)
@Diogenes I’m sure the framers were thinking the right was needed for arming a militia in defense of a govt which has turned its guns on its own citizens, not as a way to enable the current epidemic of suicide by gunfire, or the mowing down of first graders at Sandy Hook.
Kerry (Lake Country, B.C.)
This is laudable but why do they have to sell out current inventory first?
zula (Brooklyn)
"Discouraging" open carry? That's some non-committal language.
Desert Gal (New Mexico)
@zula Sometimes they are bound by state law. Texas allows conceal and open carry even in school zones and at religious establishments. There's only so much WalMart can do.
Anonymous (USA)
I guess the free market isn't so great when companies make choices that you, personally, wouldn't make.
Lissa (Virginia)
If you think you live in a true ‘free market’ society, it must be because Trump tweeted it and you just believed it. Good grief.
margaret_h (Albany, NY)
They can't extract money from us if we aren't alive.
Jane Ferguson (Portland Oregon)
I rarely shop at Walmart, but now I feel less uncomfortable re: how they have treated employees, however, now I will support them more, hoping they continue to follow their conscience regarding the sale of ammunition and in time specific weapons used commonly in mass shootings. Thank you Walmart. Not perfect but leading the way.
Grace (Corpus Christi, TX)
Thanks, Walmart for standing up to the NRA and doing the right thing regardless of financial losses. With Christmas around the corner and rising prices, I suspect losses from angry customers will soon taper off. If our pathetic congress will not act, it’s reassuring to know that some in corporate America are willing to confront the absurd proliferation of rapid-fire weapons. Thanks a million for setting an example for other retailers.
Grace (Corpus Christi, TX)
Thanks, Walmart for standing up to the NRA and doing the right thing regardless of financial losses. With Christmas around the corner and rising prices, I suspect losses from angry customers will soon taper off. If our pathetic congress will not act, it’s reassuring to know that some in corporate America are willing to confront the absurd proliferation of rapid-fire weapons. Thanks a million for setting an example for other retailers.
AACNY (New York)
I'm alway struck by how the measures being taken always affect legal gun owners. Do those who kill others with guns in Chicago shop at Walmart for their ammo? Where are all those pistols, which is the primary gun used to kill others, purchased? Do criminals walk around with their guns out?
Joseph (The West)
Who made the NRA the arbiter on what are fundamental freedoms in America?
SParker (Brooklyn)
Supposedly we're a free market economy. They can decide what they want to to sell; you can decide whether you shop there.
Jerry Engelbach (Mexico)
@Joseph, You don’t think Walmart has the right to exercise its freedom to limit its sales of guns and ammunition and keep its customers and employees safe by restricting the carrying of lethal weapons in its stores? Whether you like it or not, freedom does not grow out of threatening people with a gun.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Jerry Engelbach Wal-Mart's managers are in error. They wish to treat their law-abiding customers equally with those, who are felons, and so prohibited from owning firearms or ammunition. Company managers, who equate the criminal and the law-abiding, have no moral compass. There is no crime of which they are not capable. Wal-Mart is a place to avoid. I do not wish to enrich those without a moral compass.
Mossy (Washington State)
I live in a state that allows “open carry” of loaded firearms as long as it does not manifest "an intent to intimidate another or [warrant] alarm for the safety of other persons." A few years ago I watched a man in body armor walk around the small, rural downtown where I live carrying an assault rifle. He carried it pointing up in the air as he strode around town and it was clearly intimidating and warranted alarm for the safety of people shopping and going about their business. Fortunately the local sheriff stopped him and talked to him and hopefully persuaded him to leave. Not too long ago I was at a local supermarket and a middle aged grey-haired couple in full camo came out with groceries and pistols on their hips. It was not hunting season. These people look ridiculous and I wanted to laugh. What are they afraid of? Or do they just want to be in our face with their second amendment beliefs? Either way, it intimidates me and others and given the frequent mass shootings and violence in this country, clearly warrants alarm for the safety of the rest of us. Enough!! Glad Walmart is taking first steps but more needs to be done, everywhere!
kate (atlanta)
@Mossy In my opinion their one and only goal is to scare everybody. they are bullies and they want to intimidate you
Dr. John (Seattle)
About 250 people were killed in mass shootings last year. About 50 were killed by white supremacists. About 7000 citizens were killed in our inner cities. So, where should gun confiscation begin for maximum impact?
Jerry Engelbach (Mexico)
There is no need for confiscation. Buybacks have worked well elsewhere.
Summer Smith (Dallas)
Buying back an AR15 in a rural area and buying one back in an urban area prevent exactly the same thing. The ability of one person to kill multiple people in a minute.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Dr. John In Rwanda, a "gun control" law promotd a genocide in which some 800,000 - including many children - were murdered in just 119 days (7 April-19 July 1994). The law: Decree-Law No. 12/79, 7 May 1979 published in the "Journal Officiel" (Official Journal), 1 June 1979, pp. 343-346, in French and Kinyarwanda. This law remains in force, as amended by Law No. 13/2000, 14 June 2000. The murder rate during this genodice averaged about 6,7000 PER DAY! Still think "gun control" is a good idea?
Lawyermom (Washington DC)
The NRA statement is hilarious. Free market capitalism is the reason Walmart has decided to stop sales of some guns. The anti-gun elites are not Walmart customers. The large majority of Americans who want sensible gun reform, on the other hand, are Walmart customers, and they want to feel safe when they shop there, send their kids off to public school, or go for a night out downtown.
marrtyy (manhattan)
Very brave considering their customer base. Great job. America's store!
Jean W. Griffith (Carthage, Missouri)
Here's the beauty of this decision for Walmart: The company will do more business now that customers feel safer. This was a smart business decision. I guarantee it.
Praytell (Minneapolis)
This is a wise and perhaps overdue decision. In the face of death it gives life a bit more chance. Larry Pray
expat (Japan)
Doing the least possible in the hope that it will somehow indemnify them - the company that sells more ammo than any other. I thought they had committed to stop the sales of assault weapons and ammo after Bowling for Columbine. Guess I was mistaken.
Halsy (Earth)
Don't any of you people dare give Walmart a pass. This is PR and nothing more. The way they treat workers and the environment is still pure evil.
Dave (Oregon)
Walmart can now count me as a former customer. Any company that continues to attack constitutional rights will not get my business.
kimmage (Massachusetts)
@Dave I think that might be ok by them. It seems they probably prefer to have customers who have common sense. When the world changes you have to make amendments too, we have to stop living in the 1700's and take a look at reality TODAY. When it hits you or a family member you might change your position. And just remember, no one wants to take your gun away from you we just want a safer world with responsible gun ownership.
Steve (Western Massachusetts)
@Dave - So a store that decides to stop selling a product is attacking constitutional rights? Do you believe stores like Walmart ought to be required to sell all legal ammunition?
JB (Nashville, Tennessee)
@Dave I quit shopping at Walmart 25 years ago because of how they've destroyed small business and their abysmal employment practices. Trust me, they haven't missed me. They won't miss you either.
Hope (Santa Barbara)
I applaud the new policy by Walmart, but it is long overdue. Columbine was 20 years ago and the teenage shooters bought their ammo at Walmart. If Walmart changed the policy back then, instead of putting profits over human life, many lives would have been saved. Nevertheless, stores like Walmart, Dicks's and others are changing their sales policy, despite threats and pressure from the NRA, so it is a step in the right direction.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Hope So, please explain why - given that military-pattern firearms have been around for several decades - there should have been a series of mass MURDERS. Couldn't the publicity given to mass MURDERERs be the explanation? Please explain why the name or photo of a dead or arrested mass MURDER suspect be publicized? There's a First Amendment right to publish. But a right is not a duty. So, those who reward mass MURDERERS by publishing their names and photos are accessories before the fact. Again, please explain why anyone should publish the name or photo of a dead or arrested mass MURDERER!
Hope (Santa Barbara)
@Jay E. Simkin Unfortunately, I can't explain because I have no idea what you are talking about. This is a forum on Wamart's new policy, not the press publishing the names of murders.
NorthernVirginia (Falls Church, VA)
“The strongest defense of freedom has always been our free-market economy,” What a vainly self-serving, delusional statement. I suppose they’re going to want to stoutly endorse more free market sales of opioids as well — in defense of freedom, of course. How sad.
David Mallet (Point Roberts WA)
@NorthernVirginia. The Second Amendment doesn't protect opioid possession or sale.
NorthernVirginia (Falls Church, VA)
@David Mallet wrote: “The Second Amendment doesn't protect opioid possession or sale.” No, but it certainly attracts a lot of snake oil salesmen.
Jeff (Northern California)
Admittedly, I am not a licensed psychologist. But I can make an educated guess that there is a strong relationship between AR-15 owners and those with severe feelings of powerlessness and inadequacy. I have never met a stable person obsessed with collecting arsenals of this nature... I have met a few, and have seen first hand, that these men (always men) should never be referred to as stable. Their machines of choice are not designed for hunters or target shooters,. Their machines of choice are designed to empower their frustrated and paranoid personality. Almost every profile of a mass shooter I have read bears this theory out, to some extent We Americans, have essentially turned our public safety over to the weakest and most suffering minds among us. Daily injections of hate and fear propaganda from right wing "nooz" sources, combined with Trumpian racial emboldenment, over the years, this type of weak minded, but well armed personality, can become deadly. There is a clear pattern here, Folks.
David Mallet (Point Roberts WA)
@Jeff. Logic fail, Jeff. It's the same failure of inductive reasoning behind general stereotyping, of which racism is a sub category: I observe that a few AR15 gun owners who engage in mass murder have feelings of inadequacy and persecution; therefore all AR15 owners have feelings of inadequacy and persecution. It is a flawed conclusion by reasoning from the specific to the general. (Al Capone was a syphilitic Italian machine gunning tax dodger; therefore all Italians have syphilis etc etc.) You're not a licensed psychologist. Therefore, all people who aren't licensed psychologists come to erroneous conclusions about gun owners. Hmm. Maybe you're onto something about psychologists without a license.
Jerry Engelbach (Mexico)
@David, Human beings are a complex mixture of confidence and insecurity. The need to own lethal weapons is on its face a sign of needing to feel more secure.
RNS (Piedmont Quebec Canada)
And who is the chief discourager? The greeter? That ought to work.
JP (Colorado)
How about it, Trump? Got your anti-Walmart tweets ready to go? I'm sure LaPierre has already sent you a list of suggestions.
USMC1954 (St. Louis)
Just watch as see what happens. I bet there will be at least one or more gun nuts make an issue of the "Discouragement" of open carry in a Wall Mart just to make a fool of himself by carrying an AR-15 into a store to prove his "god given right to carry guns any place they want. And he NRA will back them up with a raft of propaganda.
Mixilplix (Alabama)
The only thing that can crush the NRA is big business. Which is what they are.
Helen Kirsch (Bethesda MD)
Thank you Walmart. I hope your actions help to reduce gun violence and make all of us feel a tiny bit safer.
O’Ghost Who Walks (Chevy Chase. MD)
@Helen Kirsch Finally, when blood money becomes too bloody even for super rich!!
LHB (Easthampton, Ma.)
My sincere thanks to Walmart for making the right decision to "make the country safer." In doing so, you demonstrated more leadership than some of the people we voted into elective office!!!
Sirlar (Jersey City)
I can't believe I live in the same country as people who regularly carry guns when they go somewhere, whether open or concealed. People who do that are sick people and need help, unless they are criminals, in which case it is sensible.
Dr. John (Seattle)
Once the government disarms the urban criminals and felons now illegally possessing weapons - we can then talk about what law-abiding citizens possessing legal weapons should do.
Steven McCain (New York)
@Dr. John Have you seen the pictures of the mass killers of the past year? You must not have noticed they were not Urban Criminals and Felons.
Hope (Santa Barbara)
@Steven McCain Exactly. The mass shootings, school or otherwise, are mostly committed by white males. This isn't an urban issue.
Ed (Havertown)
@Dr. John so how do you propose to accomplish this feat? If the guns are held illegally then it would be logical to not know who has the guns illegally. Are the police going to go door to door and ask or search for guns?
Dr. John (Seattle)
NOVEMBER 7, 2017 The hero who stopped the gunman behind the deadly Texas church massacre said using an AR-15 enabled him to end the bloodshed. In an emotional interview with CRTV’s “Louder With Crowder” on Monday, Stephen Willeford described the gunfight and dramatic car chase that ensued to stop the shooter from slaughtering additional churchgoers. The former National Rifle Association instructor was home Sunday morning when his daughter told Willeford she had heard gunshots from the nearby Baptist church, prompting him to get his AR-15 rifle from his safe and load a magazine. He ran to the church and confronted the alleged shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley, who fired shots at Willeford. While taking cover behind a pickup truck, Willeford fired several shots at the gunman.
Helen Kirsch (Bethesda MD)
Guns beget guns. It is a fallacy to suggest that more gun violence contributes to a limitation on gun violence. The premise is absurd. Had their been no automatic weapons in the first place the use of an automatic weapon to stop it would have been unnecessary.
Grace (Corpus Christi, TX)
@Dr. John That was one good guy with a gun among how many shootings over how many years?
Summer Smith (Dallas)
Anecdotal at best. How many were mowed down in Sutherland Springs before the good guy got his AR? How many more were mowed down at Sandy Hook, El Paso, shooting after shooting and you’ve got 1 lousy example of a good guy stopping the bad guy after he killed 26 people. Ridiculous.
AIR (Broolkyn)
Stopping the sale of violent video games is probably a bad idea. It would be better if a made mad ex-employee could work out his aggression at home play-shooting virtual terrorists, rather than taking his anger out against the mortal public.
Neal Charness (Michigan)
When the gun industry and NRA lose Wal-Mart, the ultimate mainstream retailer, they're on a downward spiral that won't end well for them. The NRA has over played their hand.
pb (calif)
Its time corporations showed some guts. They have the money and the power. Tell the NRA to get lost. The NRA needs money like never before and Wayne LaPierre is in no position to threaten anyone.
JP (Colorado)
OMG. I may try shopping at Walmart now. Seriously.
Jim William (California)
Mr Mc Millon manned up and took a step in the right direction.Yeah there is the business side,but I wouldn’t put it past him if an inkling of his reasoning had to do with the world his grandchildren will live in.
Donna Barker (Seattle-WA)
About time. Good for them. I still won't shop there but I appreciate the effort.
VJR (North America)
This single act by Walmart is the sort of de facto gun control we need. Making bullets difficult to purchase is every bit as effective as new gun control legislation.
Matt (Seattle, WA)
@VJR Too little, too late. There are ALREADY more guns than people in the US. And with there being virtually no regulations of gun shows, Walmart's action will do nothing to improve the situation.
Rebecca (SF)
State of California already enacted such a law controlling bullets.
Harry B (Michigan)
@VJR Darn, now people will have online sellers deliver ammo right to their door.
Joan S. (San Diego, CA)
About time. Now every other store that sells them should follow Walmart's lead.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Joan S. You are in error. "Gun control" is a concept alien to U.S. jurisprudence. In the U.S., police forces have no duty to protect the average person. The U.S. Supreme Court so held in 1855 (South v. Maryland, 59 U.S. 296 (1855)). In the modern words of a U.S. Appeals Court decision: "But there is no constitutional right to be protected by the state against being murdered by criminals or madmen. It is monstrous if the state fails to protect its residents against such predators but it does not violate the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment or, we suppose, any other provision of the Constitution.”(Bowers v. Devito, 686 F.2d 616, 618 (7th Cir. 1982)). This is “good law”, i.e., this decision has not been over-turned. This decision binds only Federal Courts in the Seventh Circuit. But other Courts may cite to Bowers. The bottom line: if we have no right to protection from the government, it follows that we are responsible for our own protection. So, if you dial 911 and there's no police response, you can sue the police department. The suit will be dismissed, unless California has created a "duty to protect". I'll be that California has not done so. Thus, when a criminal attacks you, you're on your own.
Grace (Corpus Christi, TX)
@Jay E. Simkin So let’s just eliminate all police forces and everyone carry a gun. Gee, that makes me feel safe.
Karen Lee (Washington, DC)
@Jay E. Simkin, your comment that '"Gun control" is a concept alien to U.S. jurisprudence' is incorrect. And, you cite a case from 1855. How strange. Perhaps you might want to check out some more current information. https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/brady-law
BrainThink (San Francisco, California)
Hey ya’ll, the 18th century is over. There’s no more frontier. Find a new hobby that doesn’t involve weapons designed to kill things. All ya’ll are pretty smart. We have faith you can expand your horizons and find that new hobby. How about NASCAR? That’s a cool hobby.
Steven McCain (New York)
@BrainThink There are no more frontier towns that need to be civilized. So the need to walk around like your Wyatt Earp should have passed.
judyweller (Cumberland, Maryland)
I don't think that the press has any business telling Walmart or any store not to sell guns or ammo or to attempt background checks. That is not the job of the press and they should not try and be a substitute for legislation. If this becomes the "new way" of business in this country it means that the country is using the Stalin model of doing business. I am getting sick and tired of the press thinking that the 1st Amendment can be used to control citizens behavior.
Colleen M (Boston, MA)
@judyweller Walmart can sell whatever they want, but if their consumers vote with their wallets and go elsewhere, Walmart will do what their consumers demand. It has nothing to do with the first amendment. It is market forces.
Aristotle Gluteus Maximus (Louisiana)
@Colleen M But it is a violation of journalistic ethics to get involved in a story and for a newspaper to advocate for an interested party of their reporting.
judyweller (Cumberland, Maryland)
@Colleen M But the press has NO RIGHT fo use its influence to attempt to change Walmart or any stores selling business. If the people do it through lobbying or other groups. That is one thing. But the press has no business lobbying for one side or the other in a debate. Their job is to REPORT the news not attempt to MAKE it.
Leanne (Normal, IL)
I have read many comments by people saying that they will now shop at Walmart to support them for the new policy although they usually don't. I have read many other comments stating that people still won't shop there due to their impact on the economy's of towns across America. I have read several comments bemoaning the fact that Walmart has chosen to sell through their existing inventory of this ammunition before ending the sales. If you want to go shop at Walmart to support them...I suggest that everyone simply go to their local store and purchase some of the ammunition being phased out and take it directly to the police to be destroyed.
Charles (Charlotte NC)
Who’s going to discourage someone from carrying, a septuagenarian in a yellow vest?
Demkey (Lexington KY)
The press release stated they were going to train their staff on how to approach a customer with an open carry and ask them to lock the weapon in their car and then they could return to the store and continue shopping. I am not sure how that will work in Kentucky where it is unlawful to prevent somebody from being in a public space or business space from openly carrying a weapon. Apparently, after the recent shootings in Walmarts customers have been testing that resolve by bringing weapons into the stores which caused panic among customers and workers. It is a delicate situation.
Eloquaint (Minnesota)
@Demkey If everyone knows that Walmart customers are locking their weapons in their cars before they go inside, I predict a HUGE increase in violent crimes in Walmart parking lots, as local criminals break into cars to steal guns.
Lyn (Canada)
@Demkey also, who wants to approach someone open carrying a gun to ask them to take the weapon outside?
David (Alaska)
Boycott Wal-Mart, epic failure. :(
Gary (Missouri)
Walmart will do fine without you
Betrayus (Hades)
This is very nice but I'll never buy anything from Walmart until they pay their employees a decent wage and stop their policy of making the taxpaying public subsidize the healthcare they should be offering their workers. Costco treats their employees with respect. Why won't Walmart?
From Where I Sit (Gotham)
Apples to oranges due to the completely different metrics. Costco Tate’s in somewhere around one third of its income from their membership fees. Think about that. They’re making money even before the doors open for the day. Furthermore, their merchandise is put out in bulk versus typical retailers that require lots of stocking.
expat (Japan)
It's not just their healthcare - many of their full time employees are receiving federal funds under SNAP and AFDC. They literally make their employees depend on the government for their sustenance.
h king (mke)
@Betrayus If Walmart workers were worth more money, they'd be making more money. I think of the staff there as a literal retail army, down in the trenches, supplying food and other retail goods to a customer base that is typically less than affluent.
bill3542 (flyover land)
what a laugh, just another progressive touchy feely approach. i hope they drive themselves out of business. as a gun owner here in Pa there are many alternatives at the same price, many gun owners and there are millions of us will boycott the store all together. maybe they can sell more crying closets, crayons and coloring books for all you ( special ) people out there.
Dan Stackhouse (NYC)
So, which of your friends or family would need to get shot, to convince you that gun control would save lives? As for you and your pals boycotting Walmart, I assure you they're not concerned in the slightest.
jskinner (Oceanside, NY)
@bill3542 Boycott all you want, dear bill. The time is coming when guns will be regulated the way they are in Europe and America will then have far fewer senseless deaths and mass shootings. The country is growing up, moving beyond its idiotic John Wayne mentality. Hunters will still be able to buy the rifles meant for that purpose, but the weapons designed only for mass killings will become relics of our country’s ugly, ignorant past.
Robert Duff (Dallas)
I’d like to know why you think your right to have a gun supersedes my right to not get shot while out in public.
Joshua Folds (New York City)
Another corporate decision driven by an outsized amount of fear for a rare but hyper-publicized incident. Walmart probably feels the need to attempt to protect its brand and image. Who can blame them? Tragically 387 out of 327 Million Americans were killed in 2018 due to mass shootings. But the unusual amount of politicized coverage truly distorts the fact that far greater dangers exist for the American public. But the media is too busy reporting on rare but overtly publicized mass shootings. For example, 12,000 people died falling down the stairs opposed to gun deaths. 1,774 shootings were dispensed for self-defense. Home invasions accounted for another 2,556 incidents of shootings. How many more American lives of women and children were saved by law abiding gun owners. The media's incessant sensational and outsized response to in so-called "mass shooting" does little more than decontextualize the greater danger that faces Americans. If journalist understood their responsibility and could stop attempting to force their political viewpoints and moral claims down the throats of Americans, far more lives could be saved. But I suppose that stair fall deaths don't provide the right amount of sensation and drama to garner the clicks, likes and readership that media corporations have come to expect. The inescapable bottom line always rears its ugly face.
SG1 (NJ)
By your analysis, since no Americans (or very few - I may have the statistics wrong) were killed in the plane crashes associated with Boeing’s newest jet, those planes should not have been grounded. Perhaps, another argument could be made to stop seat belt laws, helmet laws, or any laws that prevent some but not all loss of life. Gun supporters need to understand that their so-called second amendment rights do not trump anyone’s right to life. To all the right to lifers out there: this is your fight to take up! If removing one gun off the streets saves one life, it will have been worth it even if it means some folks can’t keep their hobbies.
Alan Mass (Brooklyn)
@Joshua Folds Thanks for expressing the whatabout argument that passes for criticism of the rising tide of mass shootings in the USA with military-style weapons. So what if, as you contend, the total number of adults and children murdered in mass shootings is tiny next to deaths from falling down stairs? How many of those who fell were pushed to their death? Tens of thousands of Americans die in automobile, but I suspect that few if any were intentionally killed in that way. No any other advanced country sustains anywhere number of intentional killings with guns as the US does. And no other advanced country makes gun possession as easy as here. The mainstream news media is just providing real facts about the gun deaths of innocents.
CA Meyer (Montclair NJ)
I’m sure that if a crazed stair user murdered a couple dozen people by pushing them down the stairs, the media would pick up the story.
Gilber20 (Vienna, VA)
Thank you, Walmart, for taking the lead by limiting ammunition sales. It's definitely a small, positive step in the right direction. I have been waiting for Senator McConnell to introduce some type of bill that would strengthen background checks, but to no avail. The NRA has a "cobra-clutch" stranglehold on the GOP leadership and will never let go, or so it seems. Hopefully, Walmart can be the start of a trend where corporations influence policy.
Alan (Columbus OH)
Just think, with proper border controls, if every retailer adopted the same policy, in a couple hundred years there will likely be far fewer shootings in the country. Wal Mart has a challenging balancing act on guns as a national retailer and grocer with an extremely wide range of products and locations, and I think they have done an admirable job.
Susan (NM)
@Alan "With proper border contols"? Guns aren't coming in from the southern border, they're going out from here to the countries south of us.
Alan (Columbus OH)
@Susan What you say is true now. If we change our gun laws dramatically, that may no longer be the case. We do not get to change laws and have everything else in the world stay static.
Susan (NM)
@Alan - That may be true, but I have a lot of faith in law enforcement's ability to police gun shipments.
Dan (California)
Remarkable that a company that is not extraordinarily popular for its social and political positions is more in touch with the needs and wants of most Americans than the GOP.
N8t (Out Wes)
@Dan I wouldn't read more into it than self preservation: store shootings aren't good for business. Were they taking a social or political, rather than a practical position, in touch with the needs and wants of the majority of Americans they would stop selling guns or ammo all together.
Byron (Denver)
@Dan Wal-Mart didn't get to be so successful without following the first rule in business -- Know your customer base and cater to it. Wal-Mart is just responding to what they believe is their tie to customer loyalty - gun crazies notwithstanding.
javierg (Miami, Florida)
@Dan Nothing to commend here as the company is doing this solely in response to market demands. However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel here, it could start a movement.
Bruce Rozenblit (Kansas City, MO)
Doug McMillon, said the retailer recognized the need to do more “to make the country safer.” That quote says it all, "to make the country safer." This is a direct contradiction to the constant NRA refrain that more guns make us safer. At least the management of Walmart now admits the opposite case is the true case. You can't shoot someone if you don't have a gun in your hand and you can't mow down 60 people a minute if you don't have a weapon that can deliver that much firepower. The reality is the more guns in peoples' hands, the more people get shot. The gun is a solution looking for a problem, so walking around with one creates problems, and people get shot in the process. Good for Walmart. They don't have to profit off of the carnage.
Dennis M Callies (Milwaukee)
@Bruce Rozenblit "... the constant NRA refrain that more guns make us safer." Indeed, with all the hoopla that guns make us safe, why was there no report of any armed law-abiding citizen confronting the shooter? In El Paso or anywhere else.
Canadian Roy (Canada)
@Bruce Rozenblit If more guns made a nation safer, America should be the safest nation on earth. But somehow nearly unfettered access, conceal carry/open carry have not ended up so. It's almost as if they are wrong in their assumption. But sadly, instead of admitting they were wrong, many pro-gun advocates and states are doubling down, with Texas this week leading the way. Insanity, thy name is America.
Wolf201 (Prescott, Arizona)
@Canadian Roy You can say that again. It's amazing how blind some people are. The Republican Party will pay for this and pay big. It may not be this year, but there is something changing in this country, and it won’t go away.
PB (northern UT)
Don't punish good behavior, no matter how small the step. Thank you Walmart! Maybe I will shop in your stores again, but please take better care of your hardworking underpaid employees. it really is weird when big business corporations show more common sense and restraint than the President, his cabinet, and his political party.
Imagine (Scarsdale)
Who needs to flash their guns in a Walmart today but the insecure? The time of an eye for an eye is long past.
Maggie (Seattle)
@Imagine Well why did a guy with 2 other men and 2 women and a baby pull out a gun and demand those Popeye chicken sandwiches in Houston today?
ktg (oregon)
@Maggie the outcome was no one hurt and the people with the gun are being looked for. No other gun needed for protection Personally I think the outcome would have been far worse if the employees had pulled out a gun.
Jerry Engelbach (Mexico)
@Maggie, I don’t know. Do you think a chicken sandwich is worth a shootout and possible killing? Jeez.
Ted A (Seattle)
About time and still not enough Walmart. As long as Walmart continues to peddle in instruments of murder there is blood on their hands. CEO’s recently pledged to not just serve shareholders but also employees and customers... step up Walmart - live up to that pledge and I’ll step into one of your stores.
javierg (Miami, Florida)
I never held Walmart in high regard, having witnessed its treatment of its employees, and how it engaged in very troubling actions to eliminate small business in many of our small towns, and its promotion of cheap goods which we Americans could not possibly produce as cheaply as Chinese workers. Walmart represents the worst in America and it is a despicable company. But its decision today, albeit only coming after the horrible massacre of last month and pressure from the public, provides some light at the end of a very dark tunnel.
Promethean (USA)
The Walmart name and its every-town location appears in most stories about US mass shooting catastrophes. Eventually that's got to be bad for business.
Dr. John (Seattle)
Factually, how many people have been killed by citizens doing open carry?
heliotrophic (St. Paul)
@Dr. John: Rather misses the point. How many people have been saved by it? So hard to measure these things. But open carry scares people and normalizes a world where some people think it necessary to arm themselves when picking up a head of lettuce. I'd rather take my chances than be dogged in every public moment by people so afraid of their own shadows that they're willing to make me into collateral damage.
vsr (salt lake city)
No, you can't make this stuff up in today's United States. The NRA calls Walmart "shameful" for ending the sale of ammunition for weapons of slaughter. The NRA, of course, politicized Walmart's sensibilities, suggesting the company had given into liberal elites. To what low have we stooped, if we can see an effort to save lives as an act of tribal politics? One hears the dogwhistle in the NRA's statement, its attempt to incite the socio-economically aggrieved. I doubt it will affect Walmart's bottom line. While the empathetic of this country grieve the loss of life to gun violence, the NRA grieves its apparent decline of political power. We will not weep for you, Wayne Lapierre.
heliotrophic (St. Paul)
@vsr: Walmart made a smart calculation. Where are the constantly armed troglodytes going to go instead -- Target?
raph101 (sierra madre, california)
@vsr 71% of Americans support an assault weapons bad, and that includes Republicans. I don't think there's any definition of "elites" that includes nearly two-thirds of the population. Of course the NRA lies that liberals forced this move. It's the only move they've got.
Ann (Louisiana)
What if the Walmart Greeters handed out 10% off coupons to all customers who could prove they’re not carrying? That might be more effective faster than a bunch of “guns not welcome” signs. They could do both at the same time? Positive reinforcement. Just ask animal trainers :)
Jerry Engelbach (Mexico)
@Ann, Wyatt Earp made everyone entering his town check their guns at the entrance. Walmart could do the same. No bribery necessary.
faith (dc)
Of course even concealed carry in Walmart is not without problems, witness the toddler who got the gun out of his mother's "safe" purse and fatally shot her.
Southern Hope (Chicago)
Poway: AR-15 Aurora: AR-15 Orlando: AR-15 Parkland: AR-15 Las Vegas: AR-15 Sandy Hook: AR-15 Waffle House: AR-15 San Bernardino: AR-15 Midland/Odessa: AR-15 Sutherland Springs: AR-15 Tree of Life Synagogue: AR-15
New World (NYC)
@Southern Hope Nice. A Ferlinghetti fan?
No name (earth)
they have blood on their hands. they might have less blood on their hands in the future, so that's progress.
pasayten (PDX)
Please people, please! Not in the store! Try to limit your disagreements to the parking lot! And please try to remember our low. low pricing policy. On sale this week....Ballistic vests!
Mary Jane Timmerman (Charlottesville, Virginia)
Federal legislation is needed; nothing piecemeal will work. And that will have a minimal impact. Too many guns and too many angry people connected or isolated through social media. Fools abound.
JENNY M (Fresno, Ca)
Thank you Walmart for defying the NRA and extremist gun supporters. I truly admire your guts to step up and do the right thing.
Jo (Portsmouth,NH)
Smoke and mirrors.
yt (GA)
Good job, Walmart. Will buy more in Walmart!
We the People. (Port Washington, WI)
Ah, leave it to the retailing giant, Walmart, to upstage both the Leader of the Senate as well as our impotent president.
Jeb (Northeast)
Live Better. Save More.....Lives!
John Grillo (Edgewater, MD)
Now take the next responsible, logical step Walmart and create a gun safety program to buy-back from your customers all of the military assault style weapons that you have in the past sold to them, on generous terms, for destruction.
Alan (Columbus OH)
Wal Mart is to be applauded. But even this policy is not exactly what it appears to be, because gun legislation (or policy) is rarely as straightforward as it appears (WYSIWYG for short) because the hardware often defies simple classification in a practical sense. From wikipedia: The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common ammunition in the world today. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers... So Wal Mart will almost certainly be selling pistol ammo, because it is also a common rifle ammo. There are some revolvers (pistols) that can fire .410 shotgun shells, These are less common, but still exist in significant numbers. So WalMart will probably be selling less lethal rounds for pistols than they do now, but plenty of people will still be able to reload their pistols at WalMart. This topic is not as complex as health care or taxes, but it is far more complex than most people appreciate, and this makes it hard to write effective laws.
Steven McCain (New York)
Before everyone break their arms patting Walmart on the back for not selling ammunition what about the weapons the Ammo goes into? Walmart has felt the pressure and is moving in the right direction.Ammunition is not that very hard to get matter of fact my father used to make his own.Coming from a family of southerners who used their weapons as tools for survival and protection the thought of hunting with an assault rifle does not compute.If Walmart decided to stop selling Assault Rifles that would warrant the accolades.
Dr. John (Seattle)
@Steven McCain Where does Walmart sell assault rifles?
JB (NJ)
We know about three incidents at Walmarts in the past few months: A manager and associate shot by an ex employee, the El Paso shooting and then the man who walked into a Walmart with an AR-15, just because he could. I think Walmart had to do something to make customers feel safe shopping there. So maybe removing guns from the stores was that something.
Nobody (Nowhere)
Well Done, Walmart! Don't let them shout you down. There will be noise from some quarters about boycotts, but eventually wide selection and low prices will bring them back. I'll definately favor Walmart for 'big ticket' purchases like 4k TV/monitor, laptop, etc. in the future.
Andrew N (Vermont)
I'm not fond of Walmart, and don't spend much money there, but good for them for doing the right thing. Perhaps these are small steps, but every step to curb our twisted relationship to the Second Amendment is a sign of progress.
trebor (usa)
Open Carry is literally a mortal threat. We cannot know the intentions of strangers. When they have guns on their person which they could deploy within seconds the proper response is avoid, evacuate immediately if possible and call the police. It is insane that it is legal in cities.
Dr. John (Seattle)
People open carry only where it is legal. If open carry is not legal in that locale, the police will be called and the person will be arrested. However a thousand times more citizens are doing legal conceal carry - and we don’t even know it.
JB (CA)
@trebor And.....is there a domestic terrorist attack that has be prevented by gun carrying Texans or others?
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@trebor So explain how New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine - none of which now require a license for concealed carry - since 2001 (with a one-year exception) have had the lowest incidence of violent crime in the U.S. (FBI, "Crime in the United States" 2001-2017). In New Hampshire, murders are so rare - about one per 100,000 residents, versus a US average of five per 100,000 - that the State's Attorney General prosecutes all accused of murder. County attorneys don't seen enough murders to be adept at such prosecutions. Explain this! Further, since 1980, the number of firearms in the U.S. has doubled, but the murder rate has halved. In 1980, the murder rate was 10.2 per 100,000 residents (Dept. of Justice, "Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980-2008", p.2). In 2017, the homicide rate was 5.2 per 100,000 residents (FBI, "Crime in the United States", 2017. Table 1). If firearms drove the incidence of criminality, the murder rate should have doubled. It didn't. The murder rate halved. In short, your assumption - that firearms create peril - is simply wrong. And even were there no Second Amendment civil right to be armed, know you that in the 20th Century, "gun control" laws promoted eight genocides, in which some 50,000,000 were murdered, included millions of children. Be not dazzled by "gun control's" false promise of "safe streets". Behind that shiny façade is a nasty reality: mountains of corpses.
bess (Minneapolis)
Nice. There are so many Walmarts and they are so important in so many communities that an action like this--even though it leaves plenty of guns and ammo readily available--might actually change the culture a little bit, might make gun obsession seem a little less American-as-apple-pie.
Steven McCain (New York)
Really employees are going to have to be trained on how to talk to people who feel they have to be armed to buy a dozen eggs? Wow! Can you really talk to someone who arms themselves to go shopping? Having served in a war zone we were required to unload our weapons before we went to chow or shopping at The PX.With the current craziness why would I take my family shopping where some folks buying Pampers are carrying an AR-15?We as a nation have reached a level of surrealism that is beyond the pale.There was a list of the weapons used this past year in the Massacres and most of The Weapons used were AR-15's.Sure Walmart is on the ropes if it starts banning Ammunition and its actions are step in the Right Direction.But why not be bold and ban The weapons of war from our Streets.For the lovers of The 2nd amendment who want to be thought of as a well armed Militia I would allow them to well arm themselves with Single Shot Bolt Action Rifles.You can't go pick up a gallon of milk carrying a 50 Caliber Machine Gun so why are you allowed to carry,what could be called his little Brother the AR 15.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Steven McCain Thank you for your service! But you are in error as to semi-automatic, military-pattern firearms. The US Supreme Court usually upholds its precedents. In US v. Miller, 307 US 174 (1939), the Court held that the Second Amendment protects ownership of military-type firearms. Miller, a career criminal and a fugitive, was not represented. No one told the Court that the weapon at issue - a sawed-off shotgun - was widely used by front-line US troops in World War I. The Germans - outraged by combat use of a "hunting" weapon - protested via the Swiss (neutrals). The US rejected the German protest, see: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1918Supp02/d912 . In 1939, there were many front-line war-fighters, who had found sawed-off shotguns to be very effective for clearing trenches. Our Courts rule based on evidence. The Miller Court had no evidence that sawed-off shotguns had recently been a common combat weapon. Semi-auto firearms, about which many fulminate, derive from military-issue rifles. Ownership of semi-auto weapons plainly is protected by the Second Amendment. You are also in error as to ownership of machineguns. In many U.S. states, machineguns are widely owned. See U.S. Dept. of Justice, "Firearms Commerce in the United States", 2018, Ex. 8, page 15. As to carrying a .50 caliber machine gun, which weighs a tad over 80 pounds: few have the muscles and stamina!
Steven McCain (New York)
@Jay E. Simkin I was going to use an RPG as an example but I figured that was over the top
Walt Quade (Portland Oregon)
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Finally someone from big business has decided that they would be willing take a big hit to their bottom line in support of children not getting murdered in our schools. More importantly guns lying around so that kids have access during fits of depression and commit suicide. As a paramedic in Washington state I am morbidly familiar with this problem. In the long run I hope this will benefit Walmart if not monetarily, in their public image. I am not a big fan of Walmart and their employee policies but I will start buying from them in support of this decision.
Dr. John (Seattle)
It is only logical to start the gun confiscation recommended here where the vast majority of the real carnage occurs - in our inner cities.
chambolle (Bainbridge Island)
@Dr. John: “The real carnage” actually occurs among white, lower middle class, middle-aged males living in depressed rural areas, who exercise their sacred Second Amendment right to eat their own guns with alarming frequency, when they’re not overdosing on pain meds, or going postal with their semi-automatic weaponry and taking out a number of their own family members, neighbors or fellow employees. The highest rate of suicide by firearm is among veterans. Two-thirds of the gun deaths in the U.S each year are suicides — about 22,000 per year of late. That’s 10 times the rate of gun suicide in other ‘advanced nations.’ Gosh, do you think that might have something to do with the fact we have over 300 million guns rattling around in a nation of about 300 million people? And lest you think these deaths by suicide would occur anyway, and have little to do with the gun itself, ponder that about 1 in 20 suicide attempts involve a gun; but 1 in 2 ‘successful’ suicides employ a gun. The problem with a gun, you see, is that it invites impulsive behavior; it takes a split second to operate; and it’s brutally effective. The same fundamental characteristics of the firearm come into play in fatal episodes of domestic violence, ‘mass shootings,’ accidental deaths — many of those involving children — and ‘suicide by cop.’
Mitch (Seattle)
@Dr. John Some great recent books on the topic-- 'Bleeding Out,' is one-- although unfortunately facts and evidence seem to only goad people into leaning into their political whims.
Ken (Connecticut)
@Dr. John They won’t be selling handgun ammo anymore either, which drives a lot of inner city shootings. Small gun shop owners may be less willing to sell ammo to suspicious persons than an untrained Wal Mart clerk.
Cambridgian (Cambridge Massachusetts)
Banks should follow Walmart's lead and refuse to approve gun and ammunition purchases with credit cards.
Nobody (Nowhere)
@Cambridgian Brilliant. Paypal too. That would cut down on annonymous mail order ammunition sales!
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Cambridgian So, explain how it is that Massachusetts - with many nasty and repressive firearm laws - has an incidence of violent crime nearly twice that of New Hampshire, which no longer even requires a license for concealed carry? New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine at least since 2001 (with a one-year exception) have been the three states with the lowest incidence of violent crime. Explain this! Further, explain how since 1980, the number of firearms in the U.S. has doubled, but the murder rate has halved. In 1980, the murder rate was 10.2 per 100,000 residents (Dept. of Justice, "Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980-2008", p.2). In 2017, the homicide rate was 5.2 per 100,000 residents (FBI, "Crime in the United States", 2017. Table 1). If firearms drove the incidence of criminality, the murder rate should have doubled. It didn't. The murder rate halved. Be advised that "gun control's' dazzling facade - the false promise of "safe streets" - hides a nasty reality: the mountains of corpses of those murdered by genocidal officials of government's gone bad. In the 20th Century, "gun control" laws promoted eight major genocides, in which some 50,000,000 - including millions of children - were murdered.
Demkey (Lexington KY)
Walmart’s press release also stated they would require a green flag on the background check for a sale not just refuse to sell when there was a red flag. What is a green flag as it relates to a background check?
Xoxarle (Tampa)
America’s gun carnage won’t start to ease until mechanisms are put in place to start removing guns already in circulation. Any measures that slow the rate of increase of guns in circulation just contribute to a slightly slower worsening of the carnage. It’s not something to celebrate. It’s like celebrating cancer metastasizing slightly less quickly. Mandatory gun buybacks or laws outlawing classes of weaponry are things to celebrate. Fewer guns = fewer gun deaths.
Dr. John (Seattle)
Agree. And since the majority of murders occur in our big cities, we should start this gun confiscation program there.
Lilo (Michigan)
@Xoxarle If I didn't buy the gun from the government why in the world do you think I would accept being forced to sell it to them?
Daniel B (Indiana)
What's Trump going to do? tell his base not to shop at Walmart? Not perfect, but good call for Walmart.
Lew (Canada)
Carrying a gun into a supermarket, restaurant, or any other public place is not smart. Anyone who sees someone carrying a gun (other than a police officer) should call the police immediately. Let them sort it out. Businesses need big signs outside - NO GUNS! Start with that and see how you make out.
Ann (Louisiana)
@Lew, well, in our glorious country, several states have “open carry” laws that allow you to walk in anywhere you please brandishing a gun on your belt, in a holster, or whatever. So calling the police would just get you in trouble, not them. Businesses in those states can say the guns are not welcome, but they cannot prevent you from bringing one inside. Ain’t democracy grand...
Diane Thompson (Seal Beach, CA)
@Lew: Good idea..just like saying no smoking on these premises...people will start getting the idea that guns are a danger and smart people don't want or need them.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Ann Carrying a holstered weapon is NOT "brandishing". To brandish any weapon, one must have it in hand. And if the muzzle is pointed towards the floor (or ceiling, in a one-story building), that is hardly "brandishing".
Foosinando (New Jersey)
The NRA has an estimated 3 million members. Let's say another three million aren't members, but are sympathetic. Aren't there six million concerned citizens who oppose what the NRA represents? Could they join this organization and somehow choke it from within? Protest at their rallies? Hack into membership rolls? I'd be willing to join. And am definitely anti-NRA.
Cindy (San Diego, CA)
If I walked into a Wal-Mart and saw people carrying guns I would turn around and walk right back out. They better do more than "discourage" open carry.
Barbara McCarthy (NYC)
@Cindy You keep hearing the pro gun folks say that the "Good guys" with the guns can take out the "Bad guys" with the guns. Well, I bet there were plenty of "Good guys" at the El Paso Wal-Mart...where were they? Men's room? Playing violent video games in the arcade?
Promethean (USA)
@Cindy Amen to that.
Jonathan (Oronoque)
If you are properly licensed to carry, you will carry concealed, and no one will even know. That is the courteous and proper way to go armed.
J. (NJ)
@Jonathan Courteously-armed? An oxymoron.
USMC1954 (St. Louis)
@Jonathan : Better to go unarmed in the first place. There is no reason on Earth to carry a gun into a Wall Mart or any other store. Don't take your guns to town it will only get you killed.
faith (dc)
@Jonathan But there was the Walmart mom with her concealed handgun shot to death when her toddler pulled the gun out of her "safe" purse.
Tom G (Newark, OH)
Seems like good business not to be the Walmart of ammunition.
Dr. John (Seattle)
Criminals buy guns from other criminals. Not at Walmart.
USMC1954 (St. Louis)
@Dr. John : Criminals that own and run gun stores.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Dr. John Quite right: "gun control" is mathematical idiocy. At end-2016, there were about 402,000,000 firearms in the U.S., more than one for each resident including infants, who usually own little. (See U.S. Dept of Justice, "Firearms Commerce in the United States", 2000 and 2018; military-owned firearms excluded). Things so abundant and concealable cannot be controlled. That's what foredoomed Prohibition, the nationwide ban on alcoholic drinks (1919-33). Then, as now, home-brew ingredients could be had in any grocery store. In some regions, distilling alcohol ("moonshine", "white lightning") was a tradition older than is this Republic. Prohibition made some "moonshiners" wealthy. Those, who backed Prohibition, were impenetrably stupid. They bequeathed to us well-organized criminal cartels, still a plague on the land. Further, since 1980, the number of firearms in the U.S. has doubled, but the murder rate has halved. In 1980, the murder rate was 10.2 per 100,000 residents (Dept. of Justice, "Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980-2008", p.2). In 2017, the homicide rate was 5.2 per 100,000 residents (FBI, "Crime in the United States", 2017. Table 1). If firearms drove the incidence of criminality, the murder rate should have doubled. It didn't. The murder rate halved. Even if there were no Second Amendment, "gun control" is a bad idea. In the 20th Century, "gun control" law promoted eight genocides, in which 50,000,000 were murdered.
Gary (Missouri)
Did the recent Texas killer buy his gun from a criminal?
Jaime (WA)
While I don't love Walmart, kudos to them. It won't necessarily change my shopping habits but I will give them credit, and maybe stop trash talking them for the other shady things they do. Still it is something and in this world something means everything. Thank you Walmart Sincerely - a potential part time customer
Bjz (Connecticut)
Thank you Walmart. You are taking a stand and will likely save lives.
TL (CT)
I am not sure this PR stunt will get coastal liberals to shop at Walmart, but I am pretty sure there will be plenty of Americans in between the coasts that will take their entirely legal business elsewhere. Perhaps the Walton's will finally get those Oscar seats they had been hoping for!
Mitch (Seattle)
@TL Where would that be now that Walmart has killed local business?
JRH (Austin, TX)
@TL At least they are trying to do something to slow the growing number of gun deaths. We have a serious problem and removing access is a reasonable step. Like Dicks Sporting Goods, they are taking a moral stand and attempting to make the situation better, which says something about the Walmart leadership.
Maxine Sue (Boynton Beach FL)
Quite impressed that you can cram so many NRA talking points into one paragraph.
DI (SoCal)
Countdown to a rash of open carry "enthusiasts" visiting Wal-Marts everywhere.
John Doe (Johnstown)
No shirt, no shoes, no firearm, no service. Powerful. Who needs government when there’s Walmart to enforce what’s right? Sad commentary on all that we’ve been brainwashed into believing in.
Andrew N (Vermont)
@John Doe I'll feel far safer shopping for my next shower curtain if the guy next to me is barefoot and shirtless instead of being fully clothed (with appropriate footwear) but carrying a gun. So, yeah, let's let people walk barefoot in Walmart, and go shirtless if they'd like, just ask them to please leave the firearms in the gun cabinet at home.
Kathryn (NY, NY)
Thank you Walmart Powers-That-Be. You are leading by example - something no Republican seems able do. It’s actions like yours that will model change. Pence says that he and the President are “heartbroken” about the latest mass shooting and I don’t believe him for one nano-second. Golf and cheating the American people is Trump’s religion. I never thought I’d see the day when the phrase “Thoughts and Prayers” makes me furious. The NRA owns these politicians. More people will die next week and the next and they’ll do absolutely nothing whatsoever. Save your thoughts and prayers for yourselves, Republicans. I have a feeling you’ll be needing them someday.
Joe Miksis (San Francisco)
After all the constant assault weapon massacres across the US over the past several years, we finally get the response we have all been waiting for! Walmart has announced that they will discourage the open carry of these weapons in their stores! We are saved! MAGA!
JB (CA)
@Joe Miksis "discourage" ? How? That used to be called a "weasel word" Either ok or not!
Michelle (Fremont)
Good for them! Must have been the fear of losing all those liberal customers who have been calling for stronger regulations of guns and ammo. /s
Ted Siebert (Chicagoland)
Tell me Mitch- what are you going to do now that you are in an election year?
Theo D (Tucson, AZ)
Next up: the insurance solution to the madness of 320 million guns and the not-well-regulated militia that makes the 2nd Amendment a sick joke.
Westvirginuasue (Beckley)
Three cheers for Wal-Mart!
D.j.j.k. (south Delaware)
When the NRA heard Walmart is stopping the sale of ammunition there evil reply was shameful . What a careless and insensitive reply and that is the evil we are up against .All the NRA supporters feel this way even a priest i know in Lewes ,De. We need to stop the sale of bullets all together in the USA.
Lady4Real (Philadelphia)
@D.j.j.k. Although there are people who make their own bullets, the US could simply ban all ammunition outside of places where people go to hunt. Wait for those stockpiles of ammo to start showing up and take it away, buy it all back, or confiscate it, save 6 or a dozen shells.
Jeff (New Jersey)
What does "discourage" mean? Does it mean: "Sir, we'd really prefer that you didn't bring your AR-15 into the store." If that request does not seem absurd to you on the face of it, then then now you know why the rest of the world's advanced countries think we've totally lost it.
John Doe (Johnstown)
@Jeff, reward good behavior with an express line for those with no open carries.
Paulie (Earth)
I would suggest Walmart hire guards to follow around anyone openly carrying a weapon, with a gun trained on them. As soon as the weapon carrier touches his gun, shoot him (it’s always a him), justifiable homocide.
Skeexix (Eugene OR)
Thank you, Wal Mart. Maybe if there was more of tha there'd be less of this: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/14-year-old-boy-confesses-shooting-all-five-members-family-n1049061
Greg Jones (Philadelphia)
wal mart isn't owned by the NRA but many politicians are
P&L (Cap Ferrat)
Wake up-time. America is never going to get rid of its guns. America is never going to get rid of its drugs. America's mindset has to be changed. Forget the NRA = they are absolutely nothing. Forget the politicians. Change the mindset. Don't own a gun unless you desire to have your 14-year-old blow your head off. (Alabama today) Don't do the drugs. Probably a good idea not to drink alcohol either. Watch your diet. Don't sleep with your neighbor's wife or husband. Watch over your children - don't let them give massages to billionaires. Just a little common sense will make things a lot easier for you. Make good choices so we don't have to suffer some left-wing baby sitter who wants to force his or her great-choices on us.
Jackson (Virginia)
Why no report on the shootings in Chicago? Alabama?
Kurt (Chicago)
“Discourage” Open Carry?!?!? What the heck does that even mean. It’s worthless. Walmart is part of the problem. Blood on their hands. Blood on their stores.
Country Girl (Rural PA)
Why not put signs up at the entrance to stores saying that they don't allow firearms to be brought inside? It's ridiculous that so many states allow guns to be openly carried (and hidden) in public. I was in a large local flea market and saw a man with a very large pistol holstered at his waist. I didn't even know that PA allowed guns to be openly carried in public. Not knowing the man, I had no idea of his intentions. Personal safety? Killing people? Why the need to be armed inside this large building? I was frightened and left immediately. The Second Amendment dates back to the days of single-shot muskets that took a minute or so to reload. Now, with military-style weapons that can shoot a hundred rounds in a minute, this Amendment is wildly outdated. It needs to be repealed or revised drastically so that nobody except the military and law enforcement officials may own certain weapons and that no weapon can be fitted with large-capacity magazines. Hunters can still kill game with a rifle holding 6 bullets. Target shooters can get by with the same and with 6-shot pistols. There is no earthly reason for any civilian to own weapons of war. It's time for huge changes in our gun laws. We have the constitutional right to live in peace and pursue happiness without the threat of being killed by some guy with a big gun. It's toxic masculinity at its very worst that men feel the need to be armed and dangerous everywhere they go.
Mitch (Seattle)
@Country Girl One of the reasons for a 'militia' was because effective combat required volley fire. The Founding Fathers under now circumstances could have endorsed individuals carrying around the firepower of entire regiment.
Lilo (Michigan)
@Country Girl Given that law enforcement is crammed full of white supremacists with high rates of domestic violence and of shooting black men and boys why do you think that they are the only ones who should be trusted with certain weapons? It certainly can't be because we hold law enforcement accountable. Cops rarely are charged or go to prison for shooting non-cops, particularly if the non-cop happens to be black. So again, what makes you think the cops are some paragon of virtue? They aren't.
Jay E. Simkin (Nashua, NH)
@Country Girl You are in error. The U.S. Supreme Court - in its Heller (2008) and McDonald (2010) decisions - has held there's an individual civil right to be armed. The US Supreme Court usually upholds its precedents. In US v. Miller, 307 US 174 (1939), the Court held that the Second Amendment protects ownership of military-type firearms. Miller, a career criminal and a fugitive, was not represented. No one told the Court that the weapon at issue - a sawed-off shotgun - was widely used by front-line US troops in World War I. The Germans - outraged by combat use of a "hunting" weapon - protested via the Swiss (neutrals). The US rejected the German protest, see: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1918Supp02/d912 . In 1939, there were many front-line war-fighters, who had found sawed-off shotguns to be very effective for clearing trenches. Our Courts rule based on evidence. The Miller Court had no evidence that sawed-off shotguns had recently been a common combat weapon. Semi-auto firearms, about which many fulminate, derive from military-issue rifles. Ownership of semi-auto weapons plainly is protected by the Second Amendment. Finally, even were there no Second Amendment, know you that in the U.S. the average person has no right to police protection. Again, this is the U.S. Supreme Court's position. It dates to 1855. If you want to know more, post back and I'll explain.
Karen (Baltimore)
Bravo, Walmart. Haven’t been a regular Walmart shopper, but I will change that. Well done.
confounded (east coast)
"One small step..." Thank You Walmart! As a result of your effort, I will support you by purchasing more from your store. Hopefully you will see sales rise and realize there's more of us than them.
Lady4Real (Philadelphia)
@confounded I agree, except prices at Walmart are about to increase drastically courtesy of MAGA man.
DS (Georgia)
Good for them, especially since this won't go down well with a significant portion of their customers. They did the right thing.
Lady4Real (Philadelphia)
@DS I doubt this affects their bottom line negatively.
Bengal10RaviP (New Jersey)
In my opinion this is long overdue, but a good start by Walmart to the take a step in addressing the plague of gun violence threatening the nation. And to those who think gun control is a threat to their Second Amendment rights, all the innocent Americans who died in El Paso, Daytona and other places in no way posed a threat to the shooters who so callously took their lives. Hunting down human beings with military-style assault weapons should never be in season.
Ed (Colorado)
"The company said that after “selling through our current inventory commitments” it would discontinue the sale of certain short-barrel rifle ammunition and all handgun ammunition." In other words, we don't care if more people get killed while we squeeze the last penny out of the deadly stock we already have. Once we've made our money off of those "current inventory commitments," THEN we can start pretending we care.
Ann (Louisiana)
Don’t knock Walmart’s committment to reduce their role in promotion of gun ownership. They’re a business, not a charity. I applaud their initiative. The NRA is furious with Walmart right now, which means Walmart is going in the right direction. They need positive reinforcement now, not criticism.
Jack (Boston)
I grew up in another country. I admit the idea of conveniently purchasing bullets from a retail store (of all places) is something I can't grasp. Without trying to sound rude, I've never come across something like this anywhere else. Maybe it's just me.
Longue Carabine (Spokane)
I grew up in the United States of America. I hunted from age 12 onward with my dad and my grandfather (both of them born in British Columbia), mostly ducks and pheasants. I got a single-shot Winchester 20 gauge shotgun for Christmas, when I was 13. Then you could buy a long gun, rifle or shotgun, at the local hardware store. Indeed, there were 'hardware store brands' as well as house brands from J.C. Penney, Montgomery Wards, Sears, and the rest. I shoot and hunt with my children and grandchildren; bird hunting, mostly. I myself was born in 1948; a baby-boomer, as they say. I assure you, there is nothing strange about buying ammunition at a sporting goods store (which Walmart is, among other things), and there never-- repeat, never--has been.
Lucas (VA)
You are correct. This is absurd but only for people who were born or spent enough time in other countries and/or cultures that are not obsessed with protecting the access to guns at any cost.
Jack (Boston)
@Longue Carabine Maybe it's strange only to me and requires some getting used to (since I'm from abroad). Each country has its own norms. Whatever works for a country and its citizens.
Lucas (VA)
Too little too late. Our family is not going to shop there unless all guns and all ammunition is completely removed from the store.
Dr. John (Seattle)
Lots of demands here calling for the repeal of the 2nd Amendment. Why hasn’t one Democratic candidate for President added this to their campaign platform and loudly proclaimed their support of the repeal? Every Democrat candidate should do so immediately.
Vickie (Cincinnati)
The second amendment will never be overturned because Congress cannot do it on their own. Any change to the Constitution has to be ratified by 3/4th of the states (38 states). What we need are court decisions that more clearly define what it means.
Mike (Republic Of Texas)
@Vickie According to the University of Google, "Under Article V of the Constitution, there are two ways to propose and ratify amendments to the Constitution. To propose amendments, two-thirds of both houses of Congress can vote to propose an amendment, or two-thirds of the state legislatures can ask Congress to call a national convention to propose amendments." 2/3s of both Houses? Nope. 2/3s of state legislatures? Nope.
Mike (Republic Of Texas)
@Dr. John As I have said. But, they won't do it. It's not the NRA that prevents it, it's those danged old American citizens. Showing up in their racist MAGA hats, wearing the t-shirt promoting their favorite shooting iron. They won't try to alter the 2nd Amendment. They know most voters are that stupid.
Rosiepi (SC)
How is it that biz owners and workers can effect change while an electorate is ignored?
Theo D (Tucson, AZ)
@Rosiepi It’s how the GOP rules as a minority, Confederate State-style. Some of us are still 3/5 of a person, it seems.
Jennene Colky (Denver)
The phrase "selling through our current inventory commitments" is 1) a marvel of corporate-speak, and 2) makes it clear that this is all about the money, honey.
We the People. (Port Washington, WI)
@Jennene Colky I'm not sure what math you're using to come to your conclusion that it's all about the money, since Walmart calculated that their market share will drop from 20% to 6% of ammunition sales. Back off a bit, and realize that this is a move forward that restricts access to ammunition. Instead of throwing stones, how about figuring out how to build on this momentum???
Sloop (Maine)
@We the People. Right on!
Ann (Louisiana)
@We The People, agreed. I have read that the NRA is furious with Walmart right now, which means Walmart is doing something right, imho. Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good.
Sane Man (America)
As long as Walmart sells weapons or ammunition, they will not get one cent of my money. That goes for every other retailer too. If I was joined by enough others, it might change things. The government has proven worthless in this matter.
Jose P. (Pasadena, CA)
@Sane Man If I may ask, how much have you spent at Dick's Sporting Goods since they stopped selling both guns and ammunition? I think when we say we're not going to spend money with a retailer so long as they sell guns and ammo, supporting them with our money when they give up selling weapons is a must. And as for Dick's, if you haven't supported them yet, you're in luck as they're advertising Ping Blueprint golf irons at a great price. Great for beginners or pros alike. https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/ping-blueprint-irons-steel-19pngmblprntstl4pirn/19pngmblprntstl4pirn
Sane Man (America)
@Jose P. Good point. I have not spent anything at DIck's, though I noted their noble act and made a mental note that if I need any sporting goods, I will buy them at Dick's if possible. I have also been looking into other retailers that I can boycott and/or favor, as I have come to believe it is one of the most effective ways any of us can influence the course of events. Again, I will note how worthless voting has been regarding this matter.
Nick Metrowsky (Longmont CO)
About time, on both counts. All retailers, who see ammunition, should do the same thing. It does not violate the 2nd Amendment, as one can still purchase guns. And, limiting access to ammunition creates a "well regulated militia".
Dr. John (Seattle)
@Nick Metrowsky Gun enthusiasts load their own ammo.
Nick Metrowsky (Longmont CO)
@Dr. John Yes they do, but they can always limit access to gun power and ammunition equipment.
Al (San Antonio, TX)
I live in an “open carry” state, and if I were to see anyone openly carrying a weapon in public, I would just leave. Luckily, I have not experienced this yet. But I have no patience with that stuff; this is not Dodge City or Tombstone. Several local businesses have made it clear they don’t want guns on their premises. We have the right to remove ourselves from people who carry guns, and to let local businesses know how we, as customers, feel about this.
We the People. (Port Washington, WI)
@Al I have experienced it, and it was clear that the person wearing their weapon (?) openly on their belt was all about "look, see, no one's going to stop me"...
Dr. John (Seattle)
@Al Criminals do not open carry.
JaneK (Glen Ridge, NJ)
@We the People. At the grocery store's courtesy desk, I turned to see the livid customer behind me wearing a handgun in a hip holster, so I asked the manager if NJ had gone "open carry" overnight. Oh says the manager breezily , he's an undercover Newark cop -comes in all the time, he's got the permit. And he needs the service weapon to return the Oreos because they rang up the wrong price ? That's police business ? This is in a store that requires bacpacks , duffels and bookbags to be left at the courtesy desk, but everyone is ok with a cop walking around with the weapon openly, as if police don't commit crimes with guns ? After 40plus ears, I'll resume my patronage when the policy changes to "No Weapons of any Kind in the Store", as if it will happen in this day and age.
tro -nyc (NYC)
Another role they could play - as could all retailers, large and small - is to record and aggregate the purchase of all ammo. They'll already know, or could quickly deduce, the average ammo purchase or common recreational use and they'll know who exceeds that level. If these data were collected across all retailers it would provide early warning of who is hording ammunition.
Dr. John (Seattle)
@tro -nyc Too German, 1937.
Longue Carabine (Spokane)
@tro -nyc Common recreational use in many regular, longstanding shooting sports is at several hundred rounds a month at a minimum. I don't think I've ever shot less than a hundred rounds in a short visit to the indoor pistol range, even with my old-fashioned revolvers.
Eloquaint (Minnesota)
@tro -nyc Not necessarily. Anyone who practices regularly with their weapon can tell you that you can run through 500-1,000 rounds in very few sessions at the range, particularly if you go with a friend. In order to keep my skills sharp, I go to the range at least once a month, and run through no less than 300 rounds at a time, using three different calibers. I’m not hoarding ammo. I’m doing what any responsible gun owner should do: Taking seriously my commitment to mastering a very dangerous piece of machinery.
JrpSLm (Oregon)
If this is intended to stop or slow illegal gun use, it simply won't work. There are too many guns, and too much ammunition available from other stores, gun shows and the black market to have Walmart's move make a dent. But, it is simply a PR move and as such, may have some effect on Walmart's bottom line.
Marc Scudamore (ABQ, NM)
@JrpSLm At least it is a concrete action in the right direction, unlike "thoughts and prayers".
JrpSLm (Oregon)
@Marc Scudamore If Walmart would commit 1% of its sales to assisting and resolving mental illness, the primary cause of mass shootings, it would be a concrete action in the right direction. Limiting ammunition sales and discouraging Open Carry is flailing in the wind.
Xanadu (Florida)
It should be applauded as a good first step.
SusanStoHelit (California)
It's a reasonable middle ground, selling things that are more oriented towards real hunters.
lb (san jose, ca)
So employees who make $11 or $12 an hour are going to be tasked with confronting armed customers? Some of whom will probably make a point of bringing their guns inside the stores to be deliberately provocative or to try get a viral video up on social media. I hope Walmart employees refuse to put their lives in danger to provide PR cover to the corporation. If Walmart was serious about this idea they would install metal detectors and armed guards at the entrances to all their stores.
Dr. John (Seattle)
@lb Does your logic apply to our schools? If stores should have armed guards and metal detectors, our children at school should have the same or better security and protection.
Neal (Arizona)
@Dr. John Yeah right. An armed elementary school teacher. Just what we need
Theo D (Tucson, AZ)
@lb Greeters will be issued bulletproof vests and tasers, perhaps.
BJM (Israel)
Without banning entrance to the Walmart stores with weapons (not just guns, but knives as well) by means of guards who check all who enter, there is no way to prevent mass shootings. Furthermore, the fact that guns can be purchased in Walmart stores is astonishing and emphasizes perverse interpretation of the 2nd amendment. The US is the most dangerous country in the world.
We the People. (Port Washington, WI)
@BJM Yes, and as it turns out, male human beings are the most dangerous animal on earth...
D.j.j.k. (south Delaware)
@BJM Thanks to the churches and Republicans who are supported by our faith based fakes.
Longue Carabine (Spokane)
@BJM Where could guns be purchased except at stores? Walmart fills out exactly the same paperwork and conducts exactly the same NICS background check as any gun store. Walmart is not just a grocery store. It is a sporting goods store and much besides.
ml (usa)
One small step, but huge considering what it takes to change minds in this country regarding gun control. Ironic thought that it takes a corporation to do this; if only Congress (I've given up on the current president, who is clinging to his remaining NRA supporters) would now act
Jackson (Virginia)
@ml. What did Obama do?
heliotrophic (St. Paul)
@Jackson: What did he have the chance to do during the three months that McConnell wasn't hamstringing him from doing anything? It doesn't take much internet searching to find out that Obama signed an executive action to get mental health records of those adjudicated by the Social Security Administration to have disabling conditions submitted to the background check database. (President "Concerned about Mental Illness" Trump undid this.) He took action on private sales and on smart locks. I can't post links here, so please feel free to search these issues.
LEFisher (USA)
Walmart "would begin discouraging customers from openly carrying firearms into its stores"?! "DISCOURAGING"?! SERIOUSLY?! What's "discouraging" is this blatant abuse of the Second Amendment! We are unprotected from MURDER, @ the so-called service of "a well-regulated militia"! Repeal the Second Amendment! Now!
Christine De Vries (Boulder Colorado)
An individual carrying a gun is not a “well regulated militia.” Nor is a group of people carrying guns - unless they are trained and regulated by a governmental body.
Lucretius (NYC)
@LEFisher I wonder if guns are 'discouraged' at Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas? Repeal the Second Ammendmant - yes! It should, and could, have been repealed after Kennedy was assassinated.
david (ny)
Let me remind people what the Court ruled the 2nd amendment says Justice Scalia wrote in Heller [DC gun case] and Justice Alito affirmed in McDonald [Chicago gun case] "Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited. … From Blackstone through the 19th-century cases, commentators and courts routinely explained that the right was not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose., nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.” *************** Walmart stores are private property. If they want to ban customers from carrying guns in their stores that is their right. Texas open carry law means if some jerk wants to prance around in public on public property carrying his toy then the government can not arrest him and can not prosecute him. I do not shop in Walmart for other reasons but I applaud this move by Walmart.
Beasley (Chicago, IL)
@david, perfect. Thank you.
Ed (forest, va)
Bravo to Walmart!
Diane (CT)
Thank you, NYT, for your coverage and for applying your unique persuasive abilities to Walmart. Dick's still sells guns in CT just a few miles south of Sandy Hook Elementary School and we are an open carry state. The NSSF (National Sports Shooting Foundation) is still located just up the road from the Newtown Town Hall, even closer to the Sandy Hook School, and the location of where a Sandy Hook father took his own life. The NSSF is in lockstep with the NRA, they are the NRA-Jr. They fight every aspect of change with regard to firearms, which makes no sense if all they are concerned about is the sporting aspect of guns. Greed is destroying our country, the firearms industry is just one of the worst offenders because it causes IMMEDIATE death, in contrast to other industries such pesticides, factory farming, plastics, etc., and the list goes on...
Jonathan (Oronoque)
@Diane - I live in Connecticut, and all the guys I know who carry practice concealed carry. Since you need to be approved by the police department in your town to get a permit in Connecticut, I doubt if they are dangerous. One is licensed as an armed security guard, but is probably too softhearted to ever shoot anybody. Of course, when you're on duty as an armed guard, you carry openly, but you're just a human scarecrow - or so they hope.
Mike (Republic Of Texas)
Now if Walmart would offer a line of bullet resistant apparel, it would make a difference.
Stephen (Fishkill, NY)
Found this product on Amazon: “Ldlbb Backpack BTS Bulletproof Juvenile t Shoulder Bag Boy Backpack Laptop Bag College Bag Travel Backpack” Maybe they will start selling these - sad to say.
Steve (Chicago)
On small step. They are doing what politicians don’t have the backbone to do. Shame on the NRA who remains complicit in all gun deaths.
PZ (Eden Prairie, MN)
"The company also announced that it would begin discouraging customers from openly carrying firearms into its stores..." discouraging??...wimpy, wimpy, wimpy.
me (here)
way to little. way to late.
Vickie (Cincinnati)
It's never too late to do the right thing. It's sad that it took this long, and I'm hoping other stores follow suit.
Jackson (Virginia)
@me. That would be “too”, a difficult word I know.
Michael (Bath, ME)
Just do what Chris Rock suggested: make each bullet cost $10,000.
Bill Wilkerson (Maine)
Stiffer background checks will be of no use. There are already 300,000,000 guns out there. In any town all one has to do is pick up the penny-saver weekly newspaper, go to the classifieds and find someone selling any kind of weapon willing to meet you in the supermarket parking lot. You hand over cash, no background check. No questions.
Jonathan (Oronoque)
@Bill Wilkerson - This is illegal. Such transactions have to go through a Federally licensed firearms dealer.
Corinne Colbert (Athens, Ohio)
Not true. Private-party firearms sales are legal when a) the seller and buyer live in the same state and b) the seller either knows that the buyer is not prohibited from owning firearms or has or no reasonable cause to believe otherwise. No FFL or background check required. It’s part of the gun-show loophole. It works fine when Bob wants to sell the shotgun he no longer uses to his hunting buddy Jack. The problem arises when Bob and Jack aren’t upstanding guys with pure intentions: Bob sells an AR-15 to some guy from an 8chan calling himself “Jack” who posted some hot takes on immigration and mentioned he was in the market for a semiauto.
Kirk Cornwell (Delmar, NY)
I would prefer to buy ammo at a specialized store.
Juanita K. (NY)
Oh please. this is not a good move. I believe Walmart will enforce the law more than Joe's Guns and Ammo
Phyliss Dalmatian (Wichita, Kansas)
I VOW to never, ever buy anything in any Store that sells Guns OR ammunition. Please join me. STOP the Carnage.
Jackson (Virginia)
@Phyliss Dalmatian. You don’t anyway.
Jim (Idaho)
Unfortunately, in states (like mine) that have laws preventing private businesses from infringing on open-carry rights, gun nuts by the score will now deliberately open-carry in Walmarts merely as a big middle finger to their new policy. And Walmart won't be able to do anything to stop it.
Bruce Thomson (Tokyo)
On private property they can do as they please.
SG1 (NJ)
While this is certainly a step in the right direction, the underlying problem is cultural. So long as people find the need to argue that the Second Amendment means they can own guns but have no real reason to back that other than because they can, we won’t make progress. Gun culture is the problem, not Walmart and not the Second Amendment. We have become violent by nature. While in Manhattan we might not be running out to buy guns, there is a growing proliferation around the city of “hatchet throwing” establishments. Drinking martinis and throwing hatchets is not a heck of a lot better than drinking beer and shooting guns at a range (though i think gun folks have more sense than that). We as a people need to come to an understanding of what is truly important to us. Only then is this ever going to change.
elvin (california)
Thank you Walmart. Maybe the private, for-profit sector can succeed where the public sector has failed, though I do hope government sues irresponsible manufacturers for massive public health costs incurred.
RCS (Stamford,CT)
Now, the next step is to have Walmart limit the types of foods and other items it sells. They should stop selling foods and items that can lead to obesity, diabetes, and lung cancer including packaged foods, prepared foods, snacks, soda, and tobacco.
Dr. John (Seattle)
@RCS That sounds like fascism.
Cadvlib (Boulder, Co)
Applies and oranges. People almost always buy guns to shoot at someone or something else, not usually to harm themselves. People buy food to feed them or their families and friends with no intention of destroying anything/one. Different intentions. This not a criticism responsible folks who hunt to feed their families of those who like to shoot at targets.
Cadvlib (Boulder, Co)
oops - that would be Apples and Oranges...sigh.
Bodger (Tennessee)
And in their ammunition closeout sale they are offering, for a limited time only and with a coupon, a free double-drum AR or AK magazine with the purchase of 1,000 rounds of .223 cartridges.
Orangelemur (San Francisco)
Sorry, not impressed. This is a tiny band-aid on a huge and hemorrhaging wound. Having full access to guns and ammo ( not to mention “ open carry”) at a place where families also shop for groceries , clothes and the like is just plain wrong. This is a half-baked attempt to pacify or calm the masses. The public deserves so much more.
Elwood (Center Valley, Pennsylvania)
It is unfortunate that it is possible to interchange the barrels of AR-15s so that almost every type of ammunition can be used in one so modified. Therefore, this action by Walmart makes little sense, except to slow down wackos without the means to purchase an extra barrel. Furthermore, it is quite possible to reload ammunition, and many finicky shooters do this.
Elwood (Center Valley, Pennsylvania)
It is unfortunate that it is possible to interchange the barrels of AR-15s so that almost every type of ammunition can be used in one so modified. Therefore, this action by Walmart makes little sense, except to slow down wackos without the means to purchase an extra barrel. Furthermore, it is quite possible to reload ammunition, and many finicky shooters do this.
Tug (Vanishing prairie)
I still remember the first time I sat down next to a guy openly packing a .45. We were in a cafe, at the counter, and he looked a bit angry. I didn’t know if he had mental or emotional issues, or if I might say something that would set him off. It made me very ill at ease and I never went back to that cafe again. Regarding concealed carry, after you get your permit, what happens then? If you drift into drugs, or untreated mental illness, are you going to rush down and inform law enforcement? University students are often very highly stressed and immature people. You want them packing heat on school grounds? You could easily get into a gunfight where you don’t know who’s good or bad, and then everybody is shooting at everybody. The days where some indignant “patriot” could wave his AR-15 down at the courthouse, and think he was accomplishing something, are long gone. Now that mentality just looks stupid, as does open carry.
Homer S (Phila PA)
@EEE Walmart underappreciated? Really? I don't think so. Walmart underpays its workers, so YOU AND I are paying them. We pay for SNAP (as long as Trump. Sonny and Moscow Mitch allow any benefits) and Earned Income Credit. While the Waltons make $4 million PER HOUR, and the family fortune is estimated to be $130 billion. And their employees are on welfare. So when a right wing wacko shoots up innocent people of Hispanic descent in one of their stores, they stop profiting on ammo. It was a staged PR move. Look, if you can't pay your workers a living wage, you don't have a business. If I made $100 million EVERY DAY I'd tip my hat too. A trivial gesture, way too late. Better that they finally did this than not, but let's not go overboard. It's time for an in-depth review of Walmart's overall ethical position. If they paid their employees better, fewer people might feel so desperate that they need to use opioids or kill people to feel human.
tony83703 (Boise ID)
Since we seem unable to limit firearms themselves, let's boost the price of bullets to, say, $100 each for everyone but law enforcement.
Djt (Norcal)
@tony83703 $.10 each at a gun range for use there. $100 if you take them out of the range.
Lilo (Michigan)
@tony83703 How about not? Law enforcement personnel have killed more unarmed Black men than I have so perhaps they are the ones we need to disarm.
Steve Cohen (Briarcliff Manor, NY)
Way too little, way too late. This is totally cosmetic.
Austin Ouellette (Denver, CO)
Countries where mass shootings don’t happen every day: France, Sweden, Norway, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, etc. Countries where mass shootings do happen nearly every day: Columbia, Venezuela, El Salvador, United States, Syria, South Sudan, Libya... Gun control works. Relying on corporations to police themselves does not.
KS (NYC)
Ah. The tepid Limit and Discourage Method.
Hazlit (Vancouver, BC)
I bet if I walked naked into a Walmart I would not be "discouraged" in a "non-confrontational" way, but promptly summarily arrested by law enforcement. Why is it that being naked in Walmart store is more dangerous and more threatening than it is to walk in carrying a loaded AK-47? What does this say about our culture?
Maureen (MA)
Baby step - would have been courageous if they banned all open carry in their stores. And I dm sure ceasing to sell guns would hurt their bottom line with Trump voters. I still boycott Walmart .
Kristine (Arizona)
Bravo, Walmart! Small step but a step!
Karl, (Santa Fe, NM)
What a shame that it will take Walmart, Cabela's to do a better job than the Congress, Senate, and President.
Steve Ell (Burlington VT)
Walmart will stop when inventory runs out? How about cold turkey? Like stopping smoking. Stop now. The life you save may be your own! Whatever you lose by properly disposing of remaining pistol and assault rifle ammunition will be gained in goodwill from everyone.
Bob Guthrie (Australia)
To quote the article "The company also announced that it would begin discouraging customers from openly carrying firearms into its stores in states with open carry laws." What! Just a quick comment from a sympathetic citizen of a less preposterous but allied country: Are you kidding? If it were not so tragic it would be comically farcical for this quote to even be possible in a newspaper. ONLY IN AMERICA! If a trio of shameless mountebanks, Trump, Graham. McConnell & Co came into town in a Mark Twain novel they would be tarred and fathered along with their shameless AG and run out of town forthwith. You have a Monty Python administration running America, selling snake oil and deceased parrots. My dear American friends and fellow speakers of a dialect of English, take a look at the dead parrot sketch by Monty Python. It is less preposterous than your administration currently led by President Trumpery.
John Bapt (Iowa)
Glad Walmart is doing this. Others should follow. If govt is acting like cowards, we have to take it in our hands. Look at Hongkong protests. I think gun violence is worse than what Hongkong has...
Dr. John (Seattle)
Only the ego-driven open carry. The guy next to you in line at Walmart (or Nordstrom’s) is carrying under concealment. Hopefully you will never have to thank him for protecting you.
Djt (Norcal)
@Dr. John I will never ever have to thank him/her for protecting me if type of protection he/she provided in the last, oh, dozen mass shootings are an example of that protection.
Slann (CA)
@Dr. John Concealed carry people NEVER protect anyone except themselves, which is the SOLE reason they carry firearms. And they do NOT protect you or them, in any event.
Dr. John (Seattle)
@Slann You are incorrect. See the recent Walmart incident - where a legal gun carrier stopped a potential shooter.
Ken (Connecticut)
This is actually a good idea. Instead of setting limits on how big bullets can be, let’s make a limit on how small they can be. The .223/5.56 NATO round they are banning can be shot for days (As we saw in Vegas) We use them in the military and the recoil is very light, they were designed this way to be ideal for the battlefield. Basically, ban anything but .50 caliber pistol (Think desert eagle, big pistol used in a lot of movies) and large caliber rifle rounds. The recoil is so severe that a mass shooter won’t be able to handle firing them quickly and accurately. Gun nuts can have fun blasting off those big, movie star rounds, but we won’t have to worry about getting hit with hundreds of bullets because the shooter is going to break their arm if they try. Let people keep .22 long rifle for target shooting, but ban everything in the middle.
Brewster Millions (Santa Fe, N.M.)
Open carry laws are a farce created by the NRA. My store. My rules. If I say no open carry in my store, then that means no open carry in my store.
pasayten (PDX)
Yeah like all those open carry fanatics got right to it didn't they? Proves that open carry is nothing more than macho showmanship. And of course corporate profit driven WALMART is going to feel a lot better knowing that after gunmen run out of ammo and banana clips for their WALMART purchased assault rifle the gunmen won't have a WALMART purchased handgun to fall back on!
Greg Giotopoulos (Somerville MA)
This is a lame attempt at public relations. Let’s all sit around and wait for capitalists to save us. Good plan.
Tfl (.)
“Limit” and “discourage” is not good enough. BAN them! Show some spine!
D. DeMarco (Baltimore)
I never shop at Walmart, but I may have to change that. Good move by McMillon.
NotKidding (KCMO)
Walmart, you could have done this a long time ago.
Bill (West Chester, PA)
The NRA called Walmart's actions shameful. This comes from an organization obviously without shame.
Dark Woman (Bellevue WA)
Big deal. Nothing but PR on Walmart's part, trying to burnish the image and signal that they're oh so responsible and oh so concerned and oh so sorry. I wouldn't shop there if it was the last store on earth. Never have, actually. They've spread their retail blight across the land and are rolling in their billions. It won't hurt their bottom line if they stop selling handguns and ammo. And anyone can buy those things anywhere else, thanks to those many, many gun nuts who willfully misread and misinterpret the Second Amendment.
Qnbe (Here)
You'd thing that a woman being shot to death with her own gun by her 2 year old child while shopping in a Walmart would be enough for Walmarts to prohibit open, or any! carry in their stores. I just don't get it. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/31/us/walmart-shooting-by-2-year-old.html
Mike (Peterborough, NH)
But....wait a minute Walmart....if you "discourage" the good guys from walking into your stores fully locked and loaded, who will take out the mentally ill shooters who are bent on killing as many innocent men, women and children as possible? I thought we were counting on them to take control of these traditionally American situations.
interested party (nys)
I like shopping at Walmart. They did not have to take this action, but they did. Look up AR 15 accessories on Amazon.com. No, really.
John Fornace (Norristown PA)
Walmart should stop sales of all guns and all ammunition.
Markymark (San Francisco)
Walmart doesn't care enough about its customers to kill their cash cow - selling guns and ammo. How many of their customers will die in their stores before the Walton family gets it right? 100? 500? 1,000?
Dawit Lencha (Columbia Heights)
Why would Walmart sell guns/ammunition in the first place? It's a supermarket where there are millions of children and parents going in and out of it every year.
Agilemind (Texas)
I think this is a great policy. It puts the negative focus where it should be: on tactical weaponry and especially handguns. Pheasant hunters in Kansas and deer hunters in Texas can still buy guns and ammo. For those who are absolutist, ban-all-guns-and-ammo types, that sort of urban thinking is what got you Donald Trump as a president. So stop that and let's get effective leaders elected. Please.
Barbara (Kansas City, MO)
@Agilemind It's a start.
blgreenie (Lawrenceville NJ)
An example today why "gun control," readily promoted, in reality can be very elusive. Turns out that the most recent TX shooter was barred from gun purchase due to "mental illness." That's just fine. He then purchased a gun from a private source. Private sources usually do not check data bases for "mental illness." Even if they are required to by legislation in the future, ensuring that they do so regularly will stir difficult challenges.
Djt (Norcal)
Next legislative activity in GOP dominated state legislatures: mandate that Walmart carry ammunition. Or, any store with more than 10 outlets in a state must sell ammunition. Or, any store that sells sporting goods must sell ammunition. The GOP has become the gun and ammunition party. They are the gun and ammunition party because a large swath of Americans consider guns and ammunition to be more important than anything else on the planet - even the planet itself. How did so many weak minded people end up in one country? That being the one I'm in?
DGP (So Cal)
The fundamental point behind Walmart's decision is that they know that this will not affect business. They'll lose some sales and gain some customers who respect their decision. Why? because the average American thinks it is the right thing to do! Our Republican Senate is terrified of decisions like this for the very reason that most Americans support it. They know that the power they wield results from a minority of the population plus gerrymandering. Once they lose those two they are toast, so to speak.
pajaritomt (New Mexico)
Thank you, Walmart, for voluntarily doing what our Congress will not do. Most Americans believe in better control over the sale of weapons in the US. In the long run these steps will improve the Walmart party line, I bet.
Becca Helen (Gulf of Mexico)
@pajaritomt Republicans have literally walked out I'm going home then gone on vacation order to shut down even having a conversation about gun safety reform. They've been doing it for years, thousands of deaths. They really should visit the graves of those whose lives were halted in the blink of a bullet...never forget. Sandy Hook. Parkland. They're obviously too many to list.
Nostradamus (Pyongyang, DPRK)
Not enough by far. A baby step is all this is. “Discouraging” open carry in their stores? How about forbidding it? I am tired of being held hostage by the paranoid far right. I am tired of weasly politicians who are more interested in padding their campaign coffers than in protecting their citizenry. And i am so tired of these specious Second Amendment arguments. Just name one “well regulated” militia that does not have a comprehensive inventory of its weaponry. Just name me one.
John (Ventura)
I applaud Walmart in its actions to lessen access to certain types of ammunition, move towards universal background checks and discourage and stop open carry in their stores. We have to make steady progress on gun control. If California had open carry of guns, I would pack my bags immediately.
Ps and Qs (Collegeville, PA)
It turns out that mass casualties are bad for business. Don't shop at Wal-mart. Just don't. Even if you support the move to stop selling certain ammo, please remember that this corporation and the family behind it have peddled in the egregious exploitation of their workers for years and years. If businesses are people these days, then Wal-mart is the type of person you avoid at all costs. They are not making nice here.
Dr. John (Seattle)
@Ps and Qs Walmart provides huge pricing benefits to middle America and the working poor. You should try it. And by the way, they have provided significant pay raises to their personnel the past 2-3 years.
Pete (Dover, NH)
Nice gesture but it is most likely driven by their lawyers and loss prevention department, and then of course it is a nice public relations bump. Serious shooting sports enthusiasts don't care and mass shooters will care even less.
pajaritomt (New Mexico)
@Pete In the end, I believe this step will help Walmart's sales. Most Americans want to see better control of weapons. Those people will be happier with Walmart which has had a bunch of bad publicity for the way it treats its employees.
Melting Pot Citizen (Olympia)
Because of this action, many people like me will now start shopping at Walmart after abandoning it years ago.
Jacquie (Iowa)
Who knew Walmart is worried about their bottom line. They didn't stop selling ammunition and not allow open carry in the stores because they cared about customers, but because they thought it would cost them profits.
alice (Chicago)
@Jacquie Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Pocketbook (Birmingham, Alabama)
Quit selling guns, too Waltons. It’s a soft boycott I’m doing and my friends are too. It’s rare that Walmart is the only store in town that has that lightbulb, garden hose, or dog food or ice cream. I’m not saying I’ll never cross your threshold, but I intend to steer away, online and IRL.
Michelle Neumann (long island)
thank you Doug from Walmart. I fear that our politicians are unable/unwilling (hardly matters which) to get true gun control accomplished, and so this is REALLY the ONLY WAY. I applaud them for understanding that there is a VAST difference between sport hunting and the arms and ammunition that have flooded into the hands of too many unwell individuals, with catastrophic consequences. Sportsman and rational people KNOW the difference, and so does Walmart!
Balto1 (Baltimore)
Hopefully Cabela's will be next to feel the pressure. They sell a long list of "tactical" semi-automatic weapons with rapid replacement clips and "tactical" gear. It seems to take a social movement with disapproval of WMD and protests to influence executives into doing the right thing.
Jim (Idaho)
@Balto1 Won't happen. Gun nuts are Cabela's bread and butter.
Connie Martin (Warrington Pa)
@Balto1 My husband used to work for the bank that handled Cabela's accounts and they "requested" that the bank employees that they dealt with be hunters and gun owners.
Mike Edwards (Providence, RI)
One small step. And it's going to take a lot of them - but keep them coming.
Cheryl (Colorado)
Just remember, Walmart made this decision AFTER a mass shooting in one of their stores. They could have made it before but chose not to. And the reason? Why profits of course. This is one little sane step forward. Hopefully their decision will have an influence on others to begin limiting ammunition and ALL assault weapons.
SL (NJ)
Have to give Walmart credit for this unprecedented move. It's about time this company gets involved in the issue regarding mass shootings; one of which took place in their store. Americans are disgusted with the lack of action from our government. McConnell & the GOP continue to hold Congress hostage despite the majority of citizens wanting change. This sends the NRA a strong message. Time to stop lining the pockets of our elected officials. Americans want the carnage to stop. No other country has this problem with guns. We are tired of the shooting drills in our schools, feeling unsafe in the workplace, houses of worship, movies, concerts etc. We deserve better than this.
SL (NJ)
Have to give Walmart credit for this unprecedented move. It's about time this company gets involved in the issue regarding mass shootings; one of which took place in their store. Americans are disgusted with the lack of action from our government. McConnell & the GOP continue to hold Congress hostage despite the majority of citizens wanting change. This sends the NRA a strong message. Time to stop lining the pockets of our elected officials. Americans want the carnage to stop. No other country has this problem with guns. We are tired of the shooting drills in our schools, feeling unsafe in the workplace, houses of worship, movies, concerts etc. We deserve better than this.
FJP (Oakland)
It's sad when money runs your government. It's sad that a retailer's small step for gun control comes before any action from our government. It's sad that our government won't take any significant action because it receives too much money from the NRA. It's sad that probably the deciding motivation for Walmart to take this small action is that they would lose sales if they didn't. It's sad that it's 2019, seven years and 2,212 mass shootings after Sandy Hook and we still haven't made any significant improvements in preventing mass shootings.
Sean (Ft Lee. N.J.)
Corporate behemoth monopolizing retail while pedaling endless cheap products, privileged person (remember, Supreme Court ruling?)taking a pragmatic position regarding controversial social issues.
VoiceofAmerica (USA)
There has never been a better time to BOYCOTT this sickening company that has done so much to wreck our country!
Not Pierre (Houston, TX)
The number of actual hunters hunting has been in steep decline over the last 30 years, so this is more of a business decision then a political one. The respect for hunters is really not credible.
H.A. (FL,NH,CA,WA)
"A Walmart spokesman said employees would be taking a “nonconfrontational” approach in carrying out the new policy, but that the stores were willing to contact law enforcement if a customer became disruptive. Walmart will eventually start posting signs around stores outlining the rule." We have become so complacent and brainwashed to the guns (and the right) that signs have to be put up? We have to be "non-confrontational"? Is this what we've gotten by following the right? The wild west and the most corrupt administration ever? Time for change.
jfchessa (El Paso, TX)
@H.A. If youo want to see how crazy this is, just recognize that the El Paso shooter was doing nothing illegal or even encouraged by walking into the Walmart with his loaded gun and tactical equipment. Under the existing laws and policies, he was just a regular citizen and was not to be stopped. Only when he started killing did he break the law and Walmart policy. This is the lunacy of where we are now. So now Walmart expects that employee making $11/hr to suggest that the shooter that he should probably not bring that gun into the store (in a nonconfrontational manner). Insanity!
K. OBrien (Kingston, Canada)
And Mitch McConnell asks his staff to investigate if this action is illegal when referenced against the second amendment.
Demkey (Lexington KY)
And Mitch is the Senator from Kentucky, a commonwealth in which it is illegal to ban open carries from a public or commercial space. How is that going to work out with a Walmart in every one of our rural counties and several in our cities?
Brokensq (Chapel Hill, NC)
If no one is going to restrict the availability of assault-type weapons, at least making the ammunition harder to get may discourage some mass shooting wannabes from acting. Unfortunately, there is so much 5.56 mm ammunition in circulation that even if all retail sales were cut off, there would still be plenty of ammunition available in secondary markets and from people manufacturing rounds in home workshops. At least the prices will go up.
Upstater (NY)
@Brokensq: Switzerland requires every former military personnel to keep his automatic assault rifle at home. However, they are not given ammunition, and would have to be issued it by the government in time of need.
alice (Chicago)
@Upstater We have the word "militia" in our second amendment, but not the words "guns" or "ammo".
Brian Grover (Andong, South Korea)
@Upstater Well, they are given 4 rounds, but yeah, pretty close to nothing.
EEE (noreaster)
By and large, Walmart is underappreciated for its many socially and environmentally responsible behaviors. But, alas, we live in a time when the self-righteous often hog the stage, to the detriment of reason and respect.
Anne (CA)
@EEE That's incorrect on many levels. WM underpays all employees. They hire part-timers to avoid health and other benefits leaving families to go on public assistance ...and they still sell guns. And they buy cheap not Made in America merchandise.
Demkey (Lexington KY)
Walmart has been a major driver of moving manufacturing to China. Their company not only encourages but sometimes requires that that companies filling their shelves move their manufacturing to China and stand ready to walk you through the process of moving your manufacturing to China including assisting in paperwork, finding the site, helping you arrange transportation, etc. I know because that was the condition for a product made by a family owned company I worked for. That company declined. Other small family owned businesses in Kentucky agreed and then, when they went to all that expense a d had massive debt and Walmart just handled their products for a year or two, they were forced into bankruptcy. Not nice.
EEE (noreaster)
@Anne Either you believe in free markets or you don't. In many respects, Walmart has helped raise living standards both here, in Asia and in other places.... Most Walmart critics, sadly, don't know what they're talking about. Personally I have nothing against buying things from hard-working people in need of work, no matter where they live.
NewJerseyShore (Point Pleasant. NJ)
It's really sad that a tragedy had to occur in one of their stores for this to happen. They could have done this after Sandy Hook, Columbine, night club, vegas concert, churches and more. While I like they have finally done something, I just think if they had done it sooner it would not have happened in their store.
alice (Chicago)
@NewJerseyShore They did start earlier. Walmart stopped selling assault-style weapons in 2015, raised the minimum age to buy firearms and ammunition to 21, in 2018. It stopped selling handguns everywhere but in Alaska in 1993, and stopped sales of rifles like the AR-15 in 2015.
Ellen (Palos verdes)
This is a big deal. I said to friends last month, after this- "wait and see what Walmart does. They are the biggest retailer in the world. If people - black, brown, white or purple- are afraid to shop at their stores, they will lose. " Who in their right mind- with young children or not- would put themselves in that danger. And don't tell me how Walmart is the only game in town for some people- that may be true, but they will have to work around it. You can work around anything if you feel your life is in danger. I'm sure Walmart supports Trump to a certain extent- huge tax refunds- but if this President is putting out the dog whistles to the Crazies who will "go after people to send them back, and stop coming"- they will lose- big.
X (Wild West)
“Discourage open carry.” Pathetic. I won’t be caught dead shopping at Walmart.
Glen (Texas)
@X I think that may just be Walmart's goal, X. That no one be "caught dead" in one of their stores.
Joe Berger (Fort Lauderdale,FL)
As long as our politician's keep accepting money from the NRA nothing will ever change.
RNS (Piedmont Quebec Canada)
Is the greeter packing?
P2 (NE)
Why after? Why not ban all guns in stores and also ban all gun sales. Are you waiting for a person to repeat worst nightmare of a regular Walmart shopper with what happened in El Paso with concealed carry?
JoAnn Willis (Austin To)
Thank you Walmart! Thank you!
Jean W. Griffith (Carthage, Missouri)
Time's contributing editorialist Andrew Ross Sorkin is a saint. Thank you sir, and thank you New York Times for your timely, insightful reporting.
Aristotle Gluteus Maximus (Louisiana)
@Jean W. Griffith The guy just committed journalism suicide and you call him a saint? It was, except at the NYT, a violation of basic rules of journalism to become the story or to get involved by taking sides with one of the subjects of a story. Journalists should not be the news makers. But you will say that an opinion writer in exempt from that rule, but Sorkin is also an editor of the financial reporting department.
RunDog (Los Angeles)
I was slightly impressed until I got to the part about pulling signs for violent video games. Dumb.
J. Swift (Oregon)
Thank you Walmart.
War Veteran - 1776 Airport Revolution (La Guardia Airport)
Dear Walton family, This is an appreciated first baby step. Please consider stopping all sales of guns and ammunition. Gun lovers are a small minority of the US and the majority of Americans would take note, not that you need anymore customers you are already filthy rich. Signed, Don't want to be murdered by an American Terrorist.
Thorny (New York)
@War Veteran - 1776 Airport Revolution. Haha on your moniker WV. & Walmart, also please consider paying your employees a living wage so they don't have to rely on government assistance to stay alive, and provide compensation for all the small businesses and jobs that you forced out with predatory policy of monster stores. Oh and Walmart fam, you might reconsider donating money to pro-gun politicians.
ak (new mexico)
Good on you, Walmart. At least one big entity is willing to do something (ah hem, you people who are ELECTED).
Charles Oberholtzer (Texas)
Walmart is the second domino to fall with Dicks Sporting Good leading the push. We wonder why it is, that knowing what's right we wait until enough innocent people are massacred before taking action. Bass Pro Shops is still protecting the bottom line. Do they need a horrendous killing in one of their shops to see clear change? Obviously, our politicians values are in doubt. In a capitalist economy only the money speaks to make changes. Not lives, not values, only money...it is sad that it goes on and on....
SGL (Setauket NY)
It took these idiots (i.e. Walmart) long enough to finally take a stand.
Sivaram Pochiraju (Hyderabad, India)
It’s a welcome step. Hope other stores will follow suit.
Quandry (LI,NY)
Glad to see the article was updated. I recollect it was initially for the El Paso Walmart. As we have ascertained, some off these perps travel for miles to seek revenge. This is a corporate beginning. Maybe some of the other large stores that sell these weapons and their ammo will follow Walmart's reasonable lead. Not everyone can be threatened, bought and paid for, politically and otherwise. Especially, if you're big enough. It's about time. If enough voters vote, and vote against candidates who will not stand for this continued bloodshed, and take the reasonable position that Walmart has taken, more people will live!
Paul (Raleigh, NC)
It's pretty sad that a right-wing company is ahead of Trump's government.
Leah (Broomfield, CO)
The majority of Americans do not own guns; about 70% of us according to the article I read last week. You do not need a gun when you are shopping. If I see a gun in a retail establishment, I leave immediately and find the manager to tell him why I am leaving. Thank you Walmart for what you have done.
American2019 (USA)
My problem with retailers is lack of security. They've gotten off free for years with cameras just monitoring shoplifters but now the game has changed. We need guards at stores watching for suspicious people with heavy clothing on and ammo vests approaching stores. I'm willing to go through security to shop. No problem. Walmart, Target, Macy's, all retailers need to hire quality security who can protect us. It IS that bad. Hire security for ALL schools and all school functions...school dances, football games, county fairs, churches, all government offices, etc. And I don't mean some retired deputy. I want an offer at the door in these schools watching everybody that comes and goes through ONE DOOR and have officers at EVERY door. School budgets must allow for this. Every business has to resign themselves to this requirement. People are getting shot everywhere, all the time. We are living in an armed age of white terrorism with a government that won't do anything about it. We are sitting ducks and so are our kids. I visited the middle east some years ago and guards were everywhere with automatic weapons. At first I was appalled but I was surprised with how quickly I got used to it. America has come to that and we might as well get on with it.
Richard Marcley (albany)
@American2019 You describe an America that I do not want to live in!
Alex B (USA)
@American2019 What you describe sounds truly awful. No.
Suzanna (NOLA)
You already live in that America. We all do and I think it reasonable to demand guards and metal detectors at entrances to all public spaces. Dystopian? Yes. But no progress has been made to keep us safe from the misinterpretation of the 2nd amendment. The obsessive gun toters have the power now and it has cost them nothing.
Me Too (Georgia, USA)
So, For victims of gun killings in states that have"open carry" laws, how do feel about people walking around with weapons? Seems logical that guns should be safely locked away or located at a firing range, or used while hunting. But for those who enjoy people carrying their weapons in public I say you deserve the risk. Enjoy!
Steve Brown (Springfield, Va)
The message from prominent media outlets is that gun rights are under attack and gun rights are indefensible. I think the message is good for gun rights, because it will likely push fence sitters into that camp. Politicians are now talking about a government buy-back of all 'assault weapons'. This betrays the true intentions of those who have been calling for bans. They know a ban would still leave weapons in the hands of civilians, and therefore, the next step must be buy-back or confiscation, in response to a post-ban mass shooting. Since there is no advantage in the capacity of 'assault weapons' over semiautomatics that are not called 'assault weapons', the buy-back or confiscation would cover all semi-automatic firearms. Of course I know that depending on the situation, a long gun may have an advantage over a handgun or vice versa. What I am talking about here, is rate of fire and magazine capacity. All semiautomatic firearms that use detachable magazines can accept magazines of any capacity, all semiautomatic firearms fire one round per trigger pull and fire as fast as the shooter can work the trigger.
Wilmington EDT (Wilmington NC/Vermilion OH)
Yes. Carnage is a direct function of semi auto or not. Too many idiots have access to weapons of war designed to kill or maim as many combatants on a battle field. A maimed combatant with a serious injury is essentially neutralized and puts a serious drain on the enemy’s logistics. Ban the ammunition as Walmart has. Ban replacement parts. Confiscate the semi autos. Ban open carry. Limit concealed carry drastically. Any organization that wishes to ban firearms on its premises has the right to do so. That trumps the 2nd amendment unless one has absolutely no ability to understand logic. The experiment has been tried. It has failed. By following the NRA play book which is a shameless money maker for grifters, those that now own these weapons and the shameless entities that manufacture and sell them for civilian use have no one to blame but themselves.
Jill (Orlando)
Excellent move Walmart! If our elected officials won't fulfill the wishes of the majority of Americans, it is good to know that the those in the business of keeping customers safe and happy can help. We all have to vote with our dollars and make change happen since the elected officials only listen to the money that comes from the NRA.
Richard Marcley (albany)
@Jill Male Republican politicians, who are terrified of vicious trumptweets, would not feel like "real men" if they challenged the NRA!
John Hanzel (Glenview)
Wow, stop selling bullets and have to pay more tariffs on the vast majority of its products? Stockholders will not be happy.
Jack (Paris TN)
Won't do a thing to stop any shooter who has many many other places to buy ammo. May get somebody killed who now has no access to their own defense.
Diane (CT)
@Jack meaningful change in a culture happens after many small changes, all headed in the same direction. Movement in the right direction is a good thing.
sarah (seattle)
this is a small move from a company who had an active shooter in one of their stores.
JL (NJ)
Let’s take a step back and realize that in 2019, it was a news-worthy story that one will no longer be able to walk into the stores of the largest US retailer while brandishing a gun. We are so lost. Shake my head.
Karen Lee (Washington, DC)
@JL, I just reread this story, and realize that Walmart is just going to "discourage" openly carrying a firearm on their own private property. That makes their gesture even less convincing. And in somewhat related news, this sickening story: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/us/14-year-old-killed-family-alabama.html Often when a child or teen kills a family member, it is an accident, because they were playing with a gun that the "adult" in the household carelessly left around. Apparently, this teen must be the member of a well-regulated militia.
bill3542 (flyover land)
@JL open carry is normal at many rural Wal-Marts, I've seen it many times.... and guess what, nobody complained.
Thorny (New York)
@JL. Agree, but just for the record, carrying is not brandishing.
MARTIN (SANTA FE NM USA)
Would Walmart's policy shift have been the same if this occurred somewhere else in the neighborhood?
R Mandl (Canoga Park CA)
Maybe Walmart could just check customers for mental health problems.
Discerning (Planet Earth)
@R Mandl They would lose half their customer base.
Daniel (Long Island)
So, what’s the point of having open carry if you can’t walk around with your weapons inside Walmart? As I recall, some state legislators were considering denying the ability of businesses to refuse their invitees from carryng weapons.
P (Arizona)
Too little, too late. They should stop selling guns period. Full stop.
RealTRUTH (AR)
A very big sign that even if people cannot be responsible, some corporations are at least trying. Now, let's see you feckless Republican fake lawmakers do something rational and useful FOR ONCE. I'm not holding my breath, nor should anyone else. Make them ALL unemployed when their terms are up. That might get their attention until Fox picks them up.
American2019 (USA)
I'm grateful for any change toward gun control. Period.
Harry B (Michigan)
After one of our recent mass shootings I encountered a young man open carrying his side arm. He was dressed in tactical clothing, had multiple clips on his belt and looked like he just came from duty in Afghanistan. I walked up to him and looked him in they eyes, they were lifeless, like a great white shark. Imagine if he was a young black man or Muslim. I pitied him, he was lost.
Fred (SF/NY)
I never thought I'd say these words in my life, but, Good job Walmart!
Joe (Jackson)
Justice delayed is justice denied. Walmart already has bloody gun hands. They should stop selling guns, period!
Steven B (new york)
The only important question that must be answered before this ongoing tragedy will cease is: How many lives must be lost in mass shootings before Congress decides to act?
Bob R (Portland)
@Steven B Apparently a huge number.
Jim (Midwest)
I have to ask, being a cynic. Now that Wal-Mart has developed some form of conscience: Are they going to quit selling alcohol, as that contributes to the more than 10,000 deaths annually attributed to drunk driving (see https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving ). Or are they just posturing? I suspect that it has more to do with the bottom line (ammunition sales vs. alcohol sales) than with any altruistic motive. And I am curious. Did the Wal-Mart shooter actually buy his ammunition at Wal-Mart? Probably not.
Danny Partridge (NYC)
@Jim - nobody drinks, drives, and kills people at Wal-Mart. This is ONLY about saving their reputation, so they don't continue to be known as MURDER-MART. But ANY reason for fewer guns is a good idea. How many of us know a person who shouldn't be trusted with a SHOPPING CART?!? That person can get a GUN.
John Lusk (Danbury,Connecticut)
I'm guessing they talked to their lawyers.
Phyliss Dalmatian (Wichita, Kansas)
Come on WalMart. Take a stand, refuse to sell ANY Guns OR ammunition. What's the worst that could happen ??? R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Seriously.
Marge Keller (Midwest)
@Phyliss Dalmatian I concur. It's as if they are afraid to put more than one toe into the pool, and the toe they chose was only the little toe.
✅Dr. TLS ✅ (Austin, Texas)
America: Walmart cares more about your children than the government you elected.
Dr. John (Seattle)
Those many signs in Walmart saying “We Prosecute All Shoplifters” work very well. Their annual losses to shoplifting are in the $$ billions. Signs banning criminals always work so well.
Danny Partridge (NYC)
@Dr. John - yep. "Can't win. Don't try." - Bart Simpson, UNDERACHIEVER
Mike (Mason-Dixon line)
For all of you who believe this is an act of conscience by Walmart, think again. This is a business decision, pure and simple. Bottom line dollars only. Their sales of 7.62x39 and .223 ammo probably amounted to a relative fly spec in total ammo sales. They could literally afford to drop sales of those ammos while looking good to certain members of the public. Want to see a real act of conscience? Drop the violent video games. But that ain't happening now, is it? Why? Show me the money.....
Desiree (Great Lakes)
At least Walmart is Doing Something! A major retailer restricting ammo & gun sales. They've got common sense. Vote the do nothing about gun reform Republican party out. They do not care about keeping your family safe from domestic terrorism.
Erica Smythe (Minnesota)
That's their perogative. It's called a free market because in all honesty..not many people go to Wal-Mart to buy their firearms. They do for ammo, but only because it's a bit cheaper..to the tune of $.35 a box for .22 ammo or $.79 a box for 9mm ammo. Too bad they'll take a bath on the deer season supplies like vests, boots, coveralls, hats, caps, mittens, gloves, hand/feet warmers, deer stands, propane stoves, etc... Looks like I'm shorting Wal-Mart for the next 6 months. This ain't gonna look good in their financials. And truth be told...Wal-Mart has done nothing wrong..other than allow Fleet Farm, Scheel's, Gander, BassPro/Cabela's and others to take aim at those $250,000,000 in annual firearm and ammo sales...and boots, gloves, coats, etc... :)
Matt (IL)
@Erica Smythe on the other side of that coin, someone like me who doesn’t shop at Walmart might now.
Donna (Arizona)
A good start. Now lets vote for Democrats in the House, Senate and President and get REAL gun control in this country. VOTE!!
Danny Partridge (NYC)
Very surprised to see this company actually value people's lives over the NRA's twisted incarnation of the 2nd Amendment. Where politicians have zero spine or courage, Wal-Mart proves them cowards? Next you'll be telling me Trump will turn on his only friend, FOX News.
D.j.j.k. (south Delaware)
Stop the sale of all bullets to the public especially in Texas that will now be known aa the most mass murder state in America and the free world. Walmarts own employees want them to stop all gun and ammunition sales. They won’t get my business until they stop it all.
Keith Morrison (SLC)
Baby steps but more than the spineless Republicans can muster.
Hootin Annie (Planet Earth)
Waiting for the Second Amendment folks to start boycotting Walmart and burning their Walmart products.
Max (Moscow, Idaho)
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
ElectAClown-ExpectACircus (Around the next bend or so...)
On February 27, 2019, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 2597 (effective November 1, 2019),[54] which will allow residents and nonresidents 21+ or 18+ and in the military to open or concealed carry without a permit. Oklahoma's existing reciprocity also recognizes any concealed carry license issued both as resident and nonresident as well as the permit-less carry of other states, so if you are a nonresident and 18+ and your state allows open carry or concealed carry without a permit you may carry in that fashion so long as you have valid ID proving you're a resident of that state. This is also know as constitutional carry. This makes 16 states that have this law. Better shop for a bullet proof vest because the Wild West is alive and well again.
Longue Carabine (Spokane)
To my mind, this is a cowardly, almost sickening decision. The murderer had no connection to Walmart, he used a rifle not bought there (of a type not sold there for years), etc. Walmart was just the scene of his crime. Handgun ammunition is lawful in every respect. I buy it and use it at the range; .38 Special, .45 Colt, .44 Special etc. I engage in target shooting sports, including Cowboy Action Shooting, which uses the single-action sixguns and lever-action pistol-caliber rifles of the Old West. These are wholly lawful and traditional sports. I am an ordinary father and grandfather, as were my own father and grandfather. I have daughters, sons, grandsons, and granddaughters who shoot targets at the range. The range I use has been there and organized for 124 years. Ultimately, the idea is that we are all tainted in some ways; that our traditional shooting sports are inherently bad, etc. The rhetoric than none of these things are directed against 'responsible gun owners' is totally empty. I've bought sporting and camping goods and revolver ammunition at Walmart many times. Won't be going back. What cowards....
mrfreeze6 (Seattle, WA)
@Longue Carabine, Walmart has every right in the world to respond to gun violence in whatever way it wants. And, of course, you have the right to own guns and to shop for ammunition wherever you want. What's your real beef? Is it that the carnage level has finally gotten the attention of the vast majority of Americans who are tired of being held hostage to the 2nd Amendment? I'll tell you what, why not require all guns to be insured? If most gun owners are "law abiding" and responsible, they should welcome this.
wcdevins (PA)
Sure, only the rootin' tootin' gun-toting he-men are not cowards. But take away their guns and they are soooo scared. The definition of cowardice.
Karen Lee (Washington, DC)
@Longue Carabine, to you, "this is a cowardly, almost sickening decision." Huh. To me, it is a business decision. You and your family members enjoy shooting guns as a hobby, and no one is preventing you from continuing to do so. eta: you write that, "Ultimately, the idea is that we are all tainted in some ways; that our traditional shooting sports are inherently bad, etc." Where does the article say that?
jonT (chippewa falls, wi)
I support this but. anyone remember when it was impossible to find .22 Long Rifle cartridges? That round fits a lot of hand guns and has legit recreational uses. Just saying.
paplo (new york)
Walmart is in a tough place. How to rid the old and bring in the new. More and more the entire nation wants common sense regarding guns. (great tool if you're a farmer, a hunter, or just want to feel safe.) I believe the management of Walmart sees the future. They can be leaders or not. But public opinion, and the market will get us there eventually. Courage.
UWSer (Manhattan)
Its just too dangerous to go into their stores. Clearly they've changed this tiny bit in the hopes of retaining customers and fending off lawsuits.
Marge Keller (Midwest)
While I sincerely applaud the decision by Walmart, why did it take so long in the making? Guns are rendered useless if the correct ammunition cannot be obtained. This logic should have been a no brainer a long time ago.
A. Stanton (Dallas, TX)
Maybe if Walmart assigned all of its employees who like guns to certain stores, customers who want to buy guns could shop there and the two them could get together to have shoot-outs and target practice, while the rest of us shop in peace at other Walmart stores.
Rw (Canada)
It's all so predictable that Walmart's stance will end up before the Court. How will the Court balance/deal with the tension between the 2nd Amendment and laws which permit a citizen to carry a gun wherever they want and the 'right of choice' of a business to refuse service to someone packing a weapon. Undoubtedly, right-wing Judges (their Clerks) will be losing their minds trying to reconcile the hypocrisy, madness, pro-business at all costs positions of the Right, etc. arising out of this little gem of a decision by Walmart. Which extreme right-winger will be the first to include in their brief: my client's gun is no different than allowing a person to enter Walmart with a therapy dog; my client is constantly in fear of having to protect himself from violence and not being able to pack a gun to protect himself cripples his emotional well-being. I jest.....but, perhaps not.
Eric B (Cleveland)
Gun culture: when a major retailer has to "rethink" a policy of letting people openly carrying guns into their stores. (But only after a mass murder in one of their parking lots.) What do we do with that? How are we supposed to think about that?
Nancy martini (CA)
Inside their El Paso store, not parking lot.
Eric B (Cleveland)
@Nancy martini Thank you for the correction.
J.R.B. (Southwest AR)
I was living in Dallas when Texas passed their 'open carry legislation. Many hard-core "guns rights" groups began calling on their members to assemble and openly carry rifles into businesses that were not allowing guns on their premises. It got kind of scary, especially when you saw some of the people involved in these "protests". Hard to tell the bad guys from the good. And I didn't want to be in there if the two sides began to open fire as friendly fire by a good guy kills just as effectively as that of a bad guy.
Randomonium (Far Out West)
@J.R.B. - You mean, it isn't true that more guns make us more safe? All those amateur Rambos carrying their Glocks into stores, supermarkets, concerts, even churches, fantasizing that they are the good guys, protecting the rest of us from the bad guys? The facts prove just the opposite, and I don't want my family trying to live in a free fire zone.
MissEllie (Baja Arizona)
Too little and waaaay too late. My credo is - if the only place a particular item is available is Walmart, I’ll happily live without it ... forever.
Conscientious Eater (Twin Cities, Minnesota)
Moving in the right direction! I urge you all to contact your favorite stores, restaurants, churches, workplaces, etc that still allow for open-carry to see if they will consider enacting similar restrictions.
wcdevins (PA)
The GOP already does it for their rallies and town halls. Conservative Hypocrisy in action.
Tab L. Uno (Clearfield, Utah)
Like churches where many people congregate, large public events and stores where many people can be at risk, having the peace of mind that either praying or being entertained, or shopping with a peace of mind is important. Hopefully at such venues, there will also be properly trained security or law enforcement officials who can ensure that people will be protected to the furthest extent possible. Our fundamental freedoms of America don't necessarily mean providing tens of millions of people the means to kill as many people as possible without reasonable safeguards. Our individual states and apparently compassionate global corporations can stand as a mighty bulwark against our National government and its increasing threat to our privacy and freedoms.
JLM (Haverford PA)
What does it say about our country when corporations care more about us than politicians who are supposed to represent us?
itsmildeyes (philadelphia)
It could also be a public relations move to forestall a boycott.
Hal (Illinois)
Not a bad move by Walmart but since Walmart drove all the small retail businesses into extinction along with Amazon I never shop at either. The single focus remains-Repeal the 2nd Amendment today and don't expect politicians to take the lead. It will have to come from Americans in sustained protests.
Sheela Todd (Orlando)
This isn’t a stand-up approach for gun control nor gun safety. Walmart’s response to this is coming from a crouch position so the 2A advocates don’t see the white flag in their hands. It took “weeks of discussion” for this decision?!! There have been enough gunshot killings in Walmart parking lots &/or stores in recent years for Walmart to have taken a stronger stand than this! Walmart deserves more media coverage than this article suggests. Why am I not reading about 2 or 3 gunshot victims at Walmarts? Do only mass gunshot casualties count for thought and prayers? NYT: broaden your coverage on this!
Patagonia (NYC)
There won't be a solution until the 2nd amendment is repealed.
Mark (Iowa)
I think Walmart lawyers told them that in the case of future shooting sprees employees and customers would have a strong case against Walmart being responsible because they provide 20% of the ammo. That is a 1 in 4 chance that the shooter gets his ammo there. Believe me, the reason that Walmart has 20% of the market for ammo is because of convenience. They did not have great deals, and were frequently out the most common types of ammo. This will make zero difference in the availability of ammo. You can go to any sporting goods store, your favorite mom a pop gun store or you can buy ammo online! Walmart just does not want to have blood on their hands if people start targeting Walmart for more future shooting sprees. They are limiting their exposure to lawsuits...They are NOT to be applauded. Someone even said Walmart for President...Wow. Thats the kind of thinking that got us here in the first place.
NRS (Chicago)
I haven’t been in a Walmart since the shooting last month. If I ever do shop there again, it will be very early in the morning or very late at night. There will be another mass shooting at a Walmart store. Not a question of if but when.
Drspock (New York)
This is a meaningless gesture designed to make it appear that Walmart is trying to be a good citizen. In reality they are ending the sale of certain ammunition but not ending the sale of guns. This is typical of a company that cannot do the right thing if it gets in the way of profit. Walmart, if your'e serious, stop selling all guns, period!
Dominic (Astoria, NY)
A laudable step, but not the last one that needs to be taken.
William Leptomane (Orlando)
In other news, Walmart will continue sales of firecrackers, but will severely limit sales of matches and cigarette lighters.
Jeff (OR)
Any store that sells handgun and/or assault rifle ammo should have culpability with crimes committed with those bullets. Handguns and assault weapons exist only to kill people. It takes all three: availability of guns, ammo, and an individual’s act to kill others. The argument that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” is a ridiculous and subversive oversimplification.
Steve (Western Massachusetts)
Good move, Walmart. But I bet the Texas GOP/NRA is now writing a new law that would prevent retailers from restricting ammunition sales.
Dr. John (Seattle)
Walmart will continue to allow conceal carry weapons into their stores. Law abiding legally armed shoppers are still welcome.
Peeking Through The fences (Vancouver)
No more open carry in a family store? Limiting ammo sales. This is BIG. (Said in a sad, ironic tone of voice.)
peter (ny)
".... but that the stores were willing to contact law enforcement if a customer became disruptive. " Walmart may want to make that a hot-line connection to the PD. Bravo on your actions, what took you so long?
RVCKath (New York)
Amen, Amen, Amen.
J.S. (Northern California)
You're kidding me, right?
KYSER SOZE (PHILADELPHIA)
Walmart with a typical bogus knee jerk reaction that will do nothing to stop illegal gun violence.
NRS (Chicago)
I can’t decide if its worse to be able to see the gun being carried, or to not know its there. Walmart: get out of the gun business and gun culture entirely. Please.
Karen Lee (Washington, DC)
@NRS, that was my first thought, too. At least if someone openly carries a gun or guns into a business, I can leave immediately. Of course, that's if they don't start shooting immediately. I miss the time when this thought would have never crossed my mind. Oddly enough, until quite recently, it really isn't something I thought about ... except when there were sniper attacks in the DC area years ago.
JLR (California)
"..after selling through our current inventory commitments” Why wait, Walmart? Why not discontinue the ammunition immediately and pull it all off of the shelves today? How many more people will die by not doing this now? Or is money more of a concern than lives?
Karen Lee (Washington, DC)
@JLR, also note how they say "inventory commitments", rather than "inventory". They make billions in profits; surely they can afford any penalty for canceling future shipments from their suppliers.
J.R.B. (Southwest AR)
@Karen Lee Talking about commitments, do they mean selling the current inventory, or do they mean when they meet their contract commitment,whci could be months or years from now. A little clarification Wal Mart.
Karen Lee (Washington, DC)
@J.R.B., I interpreted "inventory commitments" as referring to the latter: a contract to purchase additional ammunition.
Glen (Texas)
Gun owner here. I don't have the slightest problem with Walmart's decision to cease selling AR-15 and AK-47 ammunition. And I own two rifles that chamber this ammunition. One of them I'm seriously considering donating to the campaign of whoever wins the Democratic presidential candidacy, for the purpose of using it in a fundraising "bash" where those who want to take a swing at it with a large hammer can do so for a donation of $25/blow or 5 swings for $100. The second, I will keep, secured in a gun safe, with no plans to ever fire it for the remainder of my days. So, kudos to WallyWorld.
Tony (New York City)
@Glen Thank you, nobody wants to take anything away from you. We just want to have some sense of security and be not afraid to take our families out for a treat. Always worrying. We know background checks is not the end all but little steps make a big difference. Thanks you for caring about democracy and the human race
Dr. John (Seattle)
@Glen Why keep it?
Buddydog (Idaho)
@Glen I love you, Glen !
Walk Down (Louisiana, USA)
Impossible to see how either of these points would deter a determined shooter. An example of misled "taking action"
Jay (Fort Worth, Tx)
Easy. Over time less retailers selling certain weapons increases the price of those weapons as their availability is reduced. More expensive and/or less available = less people with access to the weapons or their ammunition. This mass shootings issue picked up a steam a few short years after the assault weapons ban expired. It’s not that hard to see the connection when you aren’t determined to have your bias confirmed.
Ray Sipe (Florida)
@Walk Down El Passo shooter was spur of the moment. He got fired; cops stopping his car hours later touched him off. If he did not have easy access; would he have killed that day? Maybe not. We need Gun control Now. Trump/GOP will do nothing. They are owned by the NRA. Thank you Walmart for doing more than all the Republicans in America. Vote Blue no matter who.
John Hanzel (Glenview)
@Walk Down ~ If EVERY store and EVERY person and EVERY politician in the US did it, then eventually they'd run out of bullets and weapons. Personally, my "taking action" would be to confiscate EVERY gun except a single shot rifle, double barrel shotgun or manual load revolver. Or muzzle loaders. Then we could save some of the ones designed exclusively to kill humans as fast as possible, in a secured facility for issue to trained and authorized members of a militia to be used when the French or British try to take us over.
Jennifer (Atlanta, GA)
Glad to see this. Hope to see legislation limiting open-carry. Right now, in certain states, individuals can carry guns into crowded places (colleges, churches, stores, restaurants) and police can't even inquire about whether that person has a permit to legally carry that gun. The police can't intervene unless or until the person with the weapon starts to threaten others (or worse). Given the age of mass shootings this just hampers police ability to do their job and keep us safe. Open carry is anti-social behavior in nearly every situation.
Dr. John (Seattle)
Amendments to the Constitution are not subject to the results of polls.
Roberto Román L. (Santiago, Chile)
@Dr. John Dear Dr. John: I'm writing from another country. But *really* what does the "need to have a well regulated Militia", which is the *reason* for the Second Amendment, have to do with the free for all in arms sales in the USA? The US today has too many weapons and too many deaths. Hopefully you'll wake up to this "unique" quality and change the rules. Otherwise, the dead will simply keep piling up. "Thoughts and prayers" are certainly not enough.
Roberto Román L. (Santiago, Chile)
@Dr. John Dear Dr. John: I'm writing from another country. But *really* what does the "need to have a well regulated Militia", which is the *reason* for the Second Amendment, have to do with the free for all in arms sales in the USA? The US today has too many weapons and too many deaths. Hopefully you'll wake up to this "unique" quality and change the rules. Otherwise, the dead will simply keep piling up. "Thoughts and prayers" are certainly not enough.
Dr. John (Seattle)
@Roberto Román L. Are you a scholar of our Constitution?
JR (CA)
A small step for mankind. Walmart acknowledges the reality that good guys with guns scare customers. They look the same as bad guys with guns. If any business is so dangerous that you need to carry a firearm, it's too risky to shop there.
Stephen Adkisson (NYC)
Dear NYT, it is great to see Walmart taking this action, and good to see that deal book open letter to the chair of Walmart of a few weeks ago called for actions such as those that have been taken. Bravo. However, I think you do the Times a disservice which can lessen future influence if you crow about such an association between your call to action and the action taken. Who’s going to say ‘I did it because the Times suggested I do so’ ? Continue to be forceful ! But if you want to be effective, it is suggested that you be a little more discreet in establishing your role.
Conscientious Eater (Twin Cities, Minnesota)
@Stephen Adkisson I'm not seeing anywhere in the article where Mr Corkery claims the NYT influenced this. They say specifically that Walmart was responding to the shooting in El Paso. Am I missing something?
PeterKa (New York)
Hopefully this is a crucial first step in changing the prevailing attitude among elected officials that there is nothing that can be done to stop gun violence. A major presence in big cities and small towns across the country thinks otherwise. Let the GOP argue with that.
EdNY (NYC)
Excuse me, but why sell out current inventory vs. removing it entirely from sale? Are the dollars that important, especially considering the mad rush that will ensue to buy it?
Karen Lee (Washington, DC)
@EdNY, they even refer to inventory "commitments", which suggests that they don't want to pay a penalty for canceling future shipments from their suppliers.
Pete in Downtown (back in town)
I am still digesting the latter half of the headline : "...and Stop 'Open Carry' in Stores". Open carry in stores? There are many things I don't like about life in New York City, but I am grateful that if I go shopping for food or clothing here, I don't have to prepare myself for the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
deborah wilson (kentucky)
@Pete in Downtown Yeah it's tales an interesting set of skills to go out for milk and bread during a snow storm in Kentucky. Stay low.
Crategirl (America)
if we see people open-carrying, we abandon our carts and walk out. I once confronted a man about it and he said he was carrying for his and our protection. I told him I didn't know him from Adam's house cat and that for all I knew, he was a crazy mass shooter. He shrugged and I walked out. I am delighted with Wal-Mart's new policy.
Darby Stevens (WV)
@Pete in Downtown It is truly frightening to walk into a shop and see someone with a firearm strapped to their side. Really challenging to figure out the whole good guy with a gun is vs the bad guy with a gun. I hope more stores in our area follow the lead of Walmart...who would have thought they would be doing what the Republicans can't or won't do?
EdNY (NYC)
Refusing entry to “open-carry” patrons is significant because it represents a mainstream cultural response to a frightening trend. It probably augurs a growing movement against these laws.
Max And Max (Brooklyn)
How many of us just can't bring ourselves to shop in a store that has guns for sale where walking passed the guns and killing tools show cases fill us with grief and horror? Knowing that we can return to a store without having to confront the sight of killing tools and guns is something, at least. Thanks.
N. Smith (New York City)
Long overdue. But a good start by Walmart to the take a step in addressing the plague of gun violence threatening the nation. And to those who think gun control is a threat to their Second Amendment rights, all the innocent Americans who died in El Paso, Daytona and other places in no way posed a threat to the shooters who so callously took their lives. Hunting down human beings with military-style assault weapons should never be in season.
Maureen (New York)
I am so glad to see Walmart doing this. Probably other retailers will follow and that is a good thing. A lawmaker in Texas stated that it would be impossible to keep the guns and the ammunition away from a determined person. This is a cop out. The more difficult it is to obtain weapons, the more expensive they will become that alone will make these items more inaccessible for peeved incels and other losers out there. We also need lawmakers with the courage to outlaw both hollow point bullets and high capacity magazines. It might be possible for individual states to impose high taxes on high capacity magazines and hollow point bullets.
Mark Miller (WI)
But Walmart didn't do much to limit their role in the problem until one of their stores got shot up. Similarly, many conservatives wouldn't turn against bump stocks until a concert (Country Western so I assume mostly conservatives) had 50+ killed and 500 wounded. Similarly, most Republicans won't stand up against these shootings in any serious way until something like a Republican National Conference gets shot up. Similarly, NRA won't support sensible restrictions until a NRA meeting is shot up. Similarly the gun & ammo manufacturers won't stop pushing NRA and Republicans to fight restrictions and keep the 'more guns is better' craze alive until one of their factories or office buildings is shot up. Good for Walmart to make this change, but wouldn't it be better if they and others did the right thing way back when it became obvious it was right?
Karen Lee (Washington, DC)
@Mark Miller, honestly, I doubt conservatives and the NRA would approve of any further restrictions on gun sales even if their own people were shot. They seem happy to dismiss the accidental or intentional shootings of minor children.
Tony (New York City)
@Mark Miller We can walk with our pocketbooks to other stores who have the same bargains as Wal Mart. We can vote politicians out of office. We can take control of our children's lives and make sure they dont get shot in schools by being a consistent force in the schools. Lets stop whining and be constructive if our politicians dont listen vote them out and get someone in who wont take NRA money, how hard is that.
PM (NYC)
@Mark Miller - But Republican Congressman Steve Scalise got shot up at a GOP baseball practice, and it didn't turn them against guns. Not even Mr. Scalise changed his views.
Wendy (NJ)
This is a big step for Walmart. It is the right decision and I’m sure the management team realizes they will alienate many customers because of it.
John Lusk (Danbury,Connecticut)
@Wendy Is the "management team" going to be the ones at the entrances or are the lowly workers. How can any store expect their staff to intercept someone with a gun and ask them to leave? If I were an employee I would ask my manager to show me how it's done.
wise brain (Martinez)
Please take note... Walmart, a corporation created a policy to enhance gun safety, not legislation. Why not both?
BTO (Somerset, MA)
Smart move by Walmart, might only be a small move but it's the right one. We need to look at the reasons why the founding fathers wanted us to have firearms and ask ourselves if those reasons still exist.
Jean W. Griffith (Carthage, Missouri)
We should applaud Walmart for this gesture. But it is not enough. Your Second Amendment rights do not supersede the right of a civilized society to live free from the constant fear of this Gun Curse.
VoiceofAmerica (USA)
@Jean W. Griffith Applaud Walmart? Great. Let's applaud the Golden State Killer while we're at it. They are the most despicable company on earth.
Fredric Alan Maxwell (Milwaukie, Oregon)
Can't believe I'm congratulating Walmart for setting a good example yet I do.
Aristotle Gluteus Maximus (Louisiana)
Ha. You gun grabbing anti-American liberals think this will have any affect? Whenever Walmart stops selling a product it just eliminates competition for others. Even the "gun industry" will applaud this move by Walmart because it will send the consumers to actual gun shops who can't compete with Walmart's undercutting on prices. That's how Walmart put people out of business and destroyed small town America.
wcdevins (PA)
Repeal and Confiscate.
Steve (just left of center)
What if you are, say, a woman who legally keeps a handgun for self-defense?
Jim (PA)
@Steve - Then she has a choice to leave it in the car, carry it with her in a locked case, or shop elsewhere. America - The land of choices.
Ed. U. Cate (Denver)
@Steve Totally unaffected by this move. Read the article, please.
Kristine (Illinois)
@Steve Don't shop at Walmart.
DS (NYC)
Sorry, Big Wally, I don’t buy your too-little-too-late announcement. Guns and ammunition DO NOT belong in a “family store,” which is what you claim to be. It baffles me how you can’t buy wine in most US supermarkets, and yet, you can buy weapons of war. I guess you could say that I feel safer dodging bottles rather than bullets.
Thomas Renner (New York City)
Seems like Walmart has more courage to act than massacre Mitch and the GOP. I commented them for taking action when our government is frozen.
george eliot (annapolis, md)
The next step is for the overwhelming majority of Americans who, unlike Moscow Mitch and the Repulsive Party that he represents, want gun control, to begin to seriously boycott stores and corporations that peddle death under the guise of a constitutional right.
Tony (New York City)
@george eliot Amen to that my fellow American
jim (denver)
The term "short-barrel rifle ammunition" is nonsensical and is not what Walmart committed to changing. "Rifle ammunition" isn't related to the length of a barrel. Using correct terminology facilitates better communication on both sides of this highly politicized issue.
B. Rothman (NYC)
I suppose that we should be grateful for and applaud the little recognitions of guilt by participation in this action by Walmart. Perhaps when some of its wealthier stock holders or members of the Walton family find themselves at the other end of the gun barrel as it goes off they may yet realize, as our President and our Republican legislators also have not, that the right to “pursue happiness” doesn’t and shouldn’t include blowing away the person next in line. And let us pray, too, that the S.C. also finds itself a good reading teacher who can explain to them how that clause about “a well ordered militia” relates to and CURTAILS the meaning of the rest of the sentence and doesn’t relate to gun ownership outside of or prior to that sentence.
Penner (Taos NM)
I want to say thank you to Walmart, but they waited until the massacre of innocents hit home before they finally acted. That they are going to finish going through their current inventory also indicates that the “status quo” they claim to care about is acceptable until then. It doesn’t sound like they are 100% behind this decision when they continue to put profits before conscience.
Socrates (Downtown Verona. NJ)
And they will still be selling guns and bullets after they stop selling the AR15 bullets, Penner. No thanks.
Tyler (South Dakota)
How will Walmart not selling specific types of ammo you can by anywhere else stop anything?
Lara Jones (Portland, OR)
I will continue to NEVER shop here, but do very much appreciate this action.
itsmildeyes (philadelphia)
I don’t think a lot of us who don’t think about guns realized the pervasiveness of their availability other than at actual weapons stores. When my kid played Little League, we bought gear at Dick’s Sporting Goods. We got batting gloves, a helmet, and got out. I never went that far back into the store. It didn't occur to me that ‘sports’ included weapons. Had I known at the time they sold machine guns (don’t start with the ‘all guns are machines’), I think I might have bought his catcher’s mitt elsewhere. Fast forward, now my ‘kid’ has a permit to carry a handgun. (I think his day job may warrant it. It’s his call.) Anyway, at least in the state he’s in, he had to go through a lot of hoops, training, and expense to obtain this permit. (And he can’t carry it here in Philly. We came out of a concert a few years ago and he picked up a brick in a vacant lot. He said if there was any trouble, his girlfriend and I just needed to run to the vehicle and he would take care of it. Anything for punk.) Something else I learned about gun purchases: when you buy a new weapon, included in the box is a coupon inviting the purchaser to join the NRA. You get subscriptions to two NRA magazines featuring articles about home defense, women warding off attackers, weapons and accessories advertising, etc. No bad gun news. Best of all, as an NRA member you get a DISCOUNT when you buy ammo. Whatever the nominal annual membership fee, it pays for itself. Great marketing.
karen (bay area)
@itsmildeyes, The USA can't have major gun legislation all in the single swoop the majority wants. But there are a few measures that should be done. Your highlighted scam of NRA members getting ammo discount coupons is one that can and should be addressed. No more. Period.
Bret (NC)
@itsmildeyes Walmart never sold a single machine gun! Furthermore, they haven't been selling military assault weapons. Machine guns and military assault rifles are fully automatic weapons. Everything they sell, fire just like any double/single action gun or rifle. One bullet at a time.
itsmildeyes (philadelphia)
Bret, I just knew you’d say that. I must be clairvoyant.