Walmart is criticized by large stockholder and church for sales of high-capacity guns and explicit music

A church, Trinity Church Wall Street, situated on Wall Street in New York City, who is a major stockholder in Walmart, has demanded that the company reconsider it's sale of high-capacity firearms, as well as sexually-charged and violent music.  When Walmart refused to share a statement on this matter with other stock holders, against it's stockholder policy, the church sued them, hoping to bring a vote on the matter before other stock holders.

They claim that sales of high-capacity weapons hurts the company image and is against "family values" given that they are used as intended.... to kill large numbers of people quickly and efficiently.

From an article:

Trinity Church Wall Street contends Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer, is refusing to allow distribution of proxy material at its June 6 annual meeting on the music-and-weapons issue even though Trinity is a legitimate investor, according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware.

The church is asking Wal-Mart in its proposed proxy statement to reconsider sales of items that may be dangerous to the public, may hurt the company’s reputation or offend family values -- including weapons with clips holding more than 10 rounds that are “well suited to mass killing,” and music “that depicts violence or sex,” according to court papers.

Those high-capacity magazines reduce opportunities for victims in a mass shooting to flee or overwhelm a shooter while reloading, according to the church’s proposal cited in the complaint. Magazines holding 10 or more rounds have “enabled” mass killings including those in Newtown, Connecticut, and Columbine, Colorado, according to the proposal.....

“To be clear, this is not an anti-gun proposal,” Trinity Rector James Herbert Cooper said today in a letter to parishioners. “We are simply asking that shareholders be allowed to consider whether the board has an obligation” to maintain reasonable societal standards.  ....

Trinity owns at least $2,000 worth of Wal-Mart shares, according to court papers.

The church asked the court to rule against Wal-Mart’s refusal to allow the church’s proposal and to award legal fees and expenses.

Walmart hasn't yet released a statement.  If 81 shootings and 75 armed robberies with guns and a wide variety of other gun crimes on their property in 2013 weren't enough to convince Walmart to stop hawking lethal weapons, with 24 dead and 40 injured, then perhaps having stockholders complaining may actually get the company to listen.


Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.