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Here is the CEO statement;

Dear Associates,

A month ago, in El Paso, Texas, a gunman with an assault-style rifle launched a hate-filled attack in our store, shooting 48 people resulting in the loss of 22 innocent lives. Just a few days prior, two of our associates were killed by another associate in our store in Southaven, Mississippi. And hours after the shooting in El Paso, our country experienced another mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. This weekend brought tragedy to Midland and Odessa, Texas.

In Southaven and El Paso, our associates responded to anger and hate with courage and self-sacrifice. Our immediate priorities were supporting our associates and the impacted families and cooperating with law enforcement. In parallel, we have been focused on store safety and security. We've also been listening to a lot of people inside and outside our company as we think about the role we can play in helping to make the country safer. It's clear to us that the status quo is unacceptable.

After visiting El Paso on Aug. 6, I mentioned that we would be thoughtful and deliberate in our responses. We're ready to share our next steps.

We've been giving a lot of thought to our sale of firearms and ammunition. We've previously made decisions to stop selling handguns or military-style rifles such as the AR-15, to raise the age limit to purchase a firearm or ammunition to 21, to require a "green light" on a background check while federal law only requires the absence of a "red light," to videotape the point of sale for firearms and to only allow certain trained associates to sell firearms.

Today, we're sharing the decisions we've made that go further:

We know these decisions will inconvenience some of our customers, and we hope they will understand. As a company, we experienced two horrific events in one week, and we will never be the same. Our remaining assortment will be even more focused on the needs of hunting and sport shooting enthusiasts. It will include long barrel deer rifles and shotguns, much of the ammunition they require, as well as hunting and sporting accessories and apparel. We believe these actions will reduce our market share of ammunition from around 20% to a range of approximately 6 to 9%. We believe it will likely drift toward the lower end of that range, over time, given the combination of these changes.

As it relates to safety in our stores, there have been multiple incidents since El Paso where individuals attempting to make a statement and test our response have entered our stores carrying weapons in a way that frightened or concerned our associates and customers. We have also had well-intentioned customers acting lawfully that have inadvertently caused a store to be evacuated and local law enforcement to be called to respond. These incidents are concerning and we would like to avoid them, so we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer openly carry firearms into our stores or Sam's Clubs in states where "open carry" is permitted  unless they are authorized law enforcement officers.

We believe the opportunity for someone to misinterpret a situation, even in open carry states, could lead to tragic results. We hope that everyone will understand the circumstances that led to this new policy and will respect the concerns of their fellow shoppers and our associates. As it relates to concealed carry by customers with permits, there is no change to our policy or approach. This morning, we briefed your leadership team on how to communicate this change in policy to customers when needed, and they will be sharing that with you very soon. We will treat law-abiding customers with respect, and we will have a very non-confrontational approach. Our priority is your safety. We will be providing new signage to help communicate this policy in the coming weeks.

As an additional step, we commit we will work alongside other retailers to make the overall industry safer, including sharing our best practices. For example, we are exploring ways to share the technical specifications and compliance controls for our proprietary firearms sales technology platform. This system navigates the tens of millions of possible combinations of federal, state and local laws, regulations and licensing requirements that come into effect based on where the firearm is being sold and who is purchasing it. We hope that providing this information, free of charge, will help more retailers sell firearms in a responsible, compliant manner.

Finally, we encourage our nation's leaders to move forward and strengthen background checks and to remove weapons from those who have been determined to pose an imminent danger. We do not sell military-style rifles, and we believe the reauthorization of the Assault Weapons ban should be debated to determine its effectiveness. We must also do more, as a country, to understand the root causes that lead to this type of violent behavior. Today, I'm sending letters to the White House and the Congressional leadership that call for action on these common sense measures. As we've seen before, these horrific events occur and then the spotlight fades. We should not allow that to happen. Congress and the administration should act. Given our decades of experience selling firearms, we are also offering to serve as a resource in the national debate on responsible gun sales.

We have a long heritage as a company of serving responsible hunters and sportsmen and women, and we're going to continue doing so. Our founder, Sam Walton, was an avid outdoorsman who had a passion for quail hunting, and we're headquartered in a state known for its duck hunting and deer hunting. My family raised bird dogs when I was growing up in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and I'm a gun owner myself. We understand that heritage, our deeply rooted place in America and our influence as the world's largest retailer. And we understand the responsibility that comes with it. We want what's best for our customers, our associates and our communities. In a complex situation lacking a simple solution, we are trying to take constructive steps to reduce the risk that events like these will happen again. The status quo is unacceptable.

Doug

Sept. 3, 2019

Spotted at DM

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In Florida, Rural King is the place to go for guns and ammo.

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Folks should be supporting their local gun stores instead of Walmart anyway.

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That sound you hear is all the local shops cheering and raising their ammo prices.
If you think its not happening, you have obviously turned a deaf ear to all of them complaining about WalMart "squeezing them out" by selling ammo cheaper.

I feel especially sorry for the brothers and sisters in CA.
--First, make mail order ammo illegal -- local retailers only.
--Second: Stop large local retailers from selling ammo via social pressure to self-identify as 'virtuous' by stopping ammo sales.

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There's a walmart fairly close to me that turned ghetto probably 15 years ago.  They stopped selling guns and ammo around that time.  Considering the location I didn't really blame them.  I haven't been in that store in at least 15 years.  Not sure if their address is actually ferguson, but they're right on the edge.  I don't know OP's area but I could see it happening in a "diverse" area.  In a rural area, doubt it.

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I can honestly say that I've never bought a firearm at Wally World and can count the times I've bought ammo there on one hand.

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Unless you need it today.  Until mail order is banned.

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Ironically the only ammo I do buy is handgun ammo, 223 and 7.62x39 "short rifle ammo" ha ha. Dorks, I bet that stuff is 90% of centerfire ammunition sales. Who goes to Wal Mart and wheels out a case of 30-30?

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North or South Georgia? If South, they will lose a $h*t load of customers and money. Especially the male demographic.

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A place I never shop and never will shop

OK with me

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That sound you hear is all the local shops cheering and raising their ammo prices.
If you think its not happening, you have obviously turned a deaf ear to all of them complaining about WalMart "squeezing them out" by selling ammo cheaper.

I feel especially sorry for the brothers and sisters in CA.
--First, make mail order ammo illegal -- local retailers only.
--Second: Stop large local retailers from selling ammo via social pressure to self-identify as 'virtuous' by stopping ammo sales.

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More Breaking News!!!!!!!!


AP News
updated 2:47pm

Gun owners shake fists, stomp feet, post memes, and stroke each other’s ego. But still refuse to un-ass their couches, organize a productive fight, dress like adults, take regular showers, or lower their BMI.

Reporter Jim Anderson has stated that his sources have confirmed gun owners vow to continue to post “Tay Tay” threads, fantasy “What gun would you buy” threads, and ridicule woman about staying in the kitchen making sammiches”

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They don't give a fuck. Susie Soccer mom is not going to stop shopping at Walmart over this issue.

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Just so they know my belt feds run either .308, 30-06 or 8mm. Diversity is a motherfucker . BTW those with .308 AR's which cause far more damage are still GTG. We need a .270 AK.

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We believe these actions will reduce our market share of ammunition from around 20% to a range of approximately 6 to 9%. We believe it will likely drift toward the lower end of that range, over time, given the combination of these changes.

Wow, that is a lot a of ammo sales. The category manager is going to be sweating that number.

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Just so they know my belt feds run either .308, 30-06 or 8mm. Diversity is a motherfucker . BTW those with .308 AR's which cause far more damage are still GTG. We need a .270 AK.

Quoted:
More Breaking News!!!!!!!!


AP News
updated 2:47pm

Gun owners shake fists, stomp feet, post memes, and stroke each other's ego. But still refuse to un-ass their couches, organize a productive fight, dress like adults, take regular showers, or lower their BMI.

Reporter Jim Anderson has stated that his sources have confirmed gun owners vow to continue to post "Tay Tay" threads, fantasy "What gun would you buy" threads, and ridicule woman about staying in the kitchen making sammiches"

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I can't stand the people that open carry in Wal Mart.  They are always using those black nylon holsters that are clipped to their pockets.  Flipping all around while they walk.

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PSA does massive volume and probably gets that for $7

LGS probably pays $9-10 for that ammo

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PSA don't do net 30 that I am aware of

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Most people buy ammo to shoot for that day at the range. They are not stockpiling like some folks here.

So they buy that 2 to 5 boxes of ammo for their recreational shoot. It was easy run by WM to fulfill those needs.

Ordering ammo takes time, planning and forethought.

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They don't care. Susie Soccer mom is not shopping another store if she is already a WM shopper over this issue.

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What makes you think they will continue to sell short action cartridges like .308?