Opponents of open carry say it can cause confusion for law enforcement when they respond to a shooting and serves mostly to intimidate the public, who have to discern the intent of the person carrying.
In recent years it has gradually introduced stricter gun policies: In , it stopped selling assault-style rifles, saying it would focus instead on hunting and sport shooting, and last year it raised the minimum age for gun and ammunition purchases from 18 to Karwoski, the Everytown policy director, says the action also sheds light on how Walmart is thinking about liability.
The movement seems to still be gaining steam. The GroceriesNotGuns brigade has set their sights on Food Lion, a North Carolina-based supermarket chain with more than 1, stores, and Hy-Vee, a Midwest grocer with more than stores.
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all.
Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Walmart shootings prompt retailers to change their open-carry policies.
Share this story Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share All sharing options Share All sharing options for: Walmart shootings prompt retailers to change their open-carry policies. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. People gather at a makeshift memorial honoring victims outside Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Next Up In The Goods.
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. After visiting El Paso on Aug. 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 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. Many of its stores are in rural areas where hunters depend on Walmart to get their equipment.
Walmart is trying to walk a fine line by trying to embrace its hunting heritage while being a more responsible retailer. With its new policy on "open carry," McMillon noted in his memo that individuals have tried to make a statement by carrying weapons into its stores just to frighten workers and customers.
But there are well-intentioned customers acting lawfully who have also inadvertently caused a store to be evacuated and local law enforcement to be called to respond. He says Walmart will continue to treat "law-abiding customers with respect" and will take a "nonconfrontational approach.
Walmart says it hopes to use its weight to help other retailers by sharing its best practices, such as the software it uses for background checks. And the company, which in stopped selling assault rifles like the AR-rifles used in several mass shootings, urged more debate on the reauthorization of the assault weapons ban. McMillon says Walmart will send a letter to the White House and congressional leadership that calls for action on these "common sense" measures.
Over the past 15 years, Walmart had expanded beyond its hunting and fishing roots, carrying items like assault rifles in response to increasing demand. But particularly since , often coinciding with major public mass shootings, the company has made moves to curb the sale of ammunition and guns.
Walmart announced in February that it would no longer sell firearms and ammunition to people younger than 21 and also removed items resembling assault-style rifles from its website. Those moves were prompted by the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla.
In , Walmart stopped selling semi-automatic weapons such as the ARstyle rifle , the type used in the Dayton shooting. The retailer also doesn't sell large-capacity magazines, handguns except in Alaska or bump stocks, or the AK-style firearm used by the El Paso shooter. The Associated Press. Get the latest on openings, closings and trends of the D-FW retail scene. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.
0コメント