Walmart is a big name in firearm and ammunition sales. In fact, they are one of the largest retailers that sell these types of products to the public and have been for many years.
The reason they are so big is that there are numerous Walmart stores across every single part of America. It’s just an easy place to grab some ammunition when you are headed to your local firing range or about to go on a hunting trip. If you run out while on that trip, there’s always a Walmart pretty much right down the street to stock up. In ammunition sales alone, it’s estimated they sell around $400 million worth each year.
They may be changing their mind about that with the recent mass shootings across the United States. Let’s look at how Walmart is changing their firearm sales.
CEO Doug McMillon Makes a Big Announcement
The CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillon just made the announcement at a press conference that Walmart would be making a few key changes to their gun and ammunition sales, along with an important store policy change.
Walmart will begin to discontinue short-barrel rifle ammunition sales and all handgun ammunition sales. Some of the short barrel ammunition they won’t carry anymore include the .223 and the 5.56 calibers.
In the state of Alaska, they are also getting rid of handgun sales completely. It remains to be seen if that change in policy will eventually carry over to other states as well. They may be waiting to see how much sales decline with the change in ammunition policy.
No More “Open Carry” in Stores
Another big policy change is that Walmart is asking its customers not to “open carry” anymore, even in states where open carry is allowed. They are still going to allow law enforcement officials to open carry if they are in uniform. If you are curious about which states allow open carry, here is a website that lists each state’s policy.
This policy also includes Sam’s Club, the big bulk membership warehouse style store that Walmart also owns.
They will be adding signs posted on the front of each store entrance that lists the new policy in detail. Walmart says that the goal is to make people feel safer when they are in stores shopping with their families.
The NRA Doesn’t Agree
The NRA (National Rifle Association) has come out against Walmart’s new open carry and sales policies. They recently stated on Twitter that it’s “shameful to see Walmart succumb to the pressures of the anti-gun elites.” Going on the NRA elaborated that Walmart has always been a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, but that these new policies are a direct hit against people’s personal freedoms. They truly believe it won’t make anyone safer.
It remains to be seen how Walmart will adapt anymore of their policies about carrying gun merchandise in the future after this big change. This may seem like a goodwill PR move at this point, but if Walmart takes a big sales hit, their bottom line may force them to change it back.
