Walmart halts sales of handgun ammo, handguns, and open carry

Yes! Some measure of success....

After all the pressure, particularly after the El Paso mass shooting at their store on August 4 of this year, Walmart has finally agreed to stop selling ammo for handguns and short-barrel rifles, stopped selling handguns in all stores, including in Alaska, and no longer open carrying of guns in their stores.

From the article:

Walmart represents about 2% of the market for guns today, the company said for the first time recently. Walmart believes it is not among the top three gun sellers in the industry, but it estimates it has about a 20% market share of ammunition sales.

On Tuesday, [CEO Doug] McMillon said that Walmart's changes to ammunition policies will reduce its market share from around 20% to between 6% and 9%. "We believe it will likely drift toward the lower end of that range, over time, given the combination of these changes," he said. ....

Surprisingly, he also called on legislative changes:

In addition, McMillon said that he would send letters to the White House and congressional leaders that "call for action" on "common sense" gun safety measures. McMillon said Congress should debate re-authorizing the assault weapons ban and expand background checks.
"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," he said. "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."

However, they still sell hunting rifles and ammo and still allow carrying of concealed firearms by customers. Keep up the pressure!

Walmart. Save money. Die faster.

Walmart halts sale of assault rifles and sniper rifles!

After years of pressure by gun violence prevention groups and victims, not to mention increases in at least the last three years, Walmart has announced that it is discontinuing sales of assault rifles and sniper rifles in its stores.  This is a tremendous success for common sense!

gun crimes and shootings at its stores for

Up until this, Walmart had sold five different models of assault rifles.  Some of these have been used in shootings on Walmart property or have been stolen from the store counters.

Walmart continues to sell shotguns, hunting rifles, and ammunition, as well as realistic-looking airguns, and they still allow people to carry concealed handguns in their stores.

From an article:

The world’s largest retailer will stop stocking AR-15s and other modern sporting rifles (MSRs) as it resets its stores with fall merchandise, a Walmart spokesman confirmed to Quartz on Wednesday. The company will replace the rifles (carried in less than a third of its stores) with shotguns and other hunting weapons.

The move comes in the midst of a national gun debate fueled by high-profile shootings involving the weapon, including Adam Lanza in the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, James Holmes in the Colorado theater shooting, and the Los Angeles Airport shooting where a Transportation Security Administration officer was shot and killed.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation says modern sporting rifles are among the most popular firearms being sold in America.

Walmart claims the move was a "business decision" and not due to pressure, but assault rifles continue to be a hot commodity with the gun guys, so I think we all know what the truth is here.  There has been a lot of outcry, including petitions like HERE and HERE.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.


Addendum (8/28/15):  A statement of support from New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.

Judge orders Walmart to let NYC church challenge gun sales

November 2014.

(UPDATED -- See below)

Walmart doesn't like to advertise that they sell semi-auto assault rifles -- lethal weapons designed for only one purpose: to kill large numbers of humans as quickly as possible.

They don't even want to advertise it to their stockholders.  In fact, they have resisted calls to bring the issue to a vote at stockholder meetings.

Now a federal judge has ruled that they have to bring up the issue at their next stockholder meeting.  This was brought up last April by a New York church which is also a major stockholder of the company.

Perhaps many stockholders are unaware that Walmart currently sells five different models of assault rifles?

Or that assault rifles have been stolen, sometimes in large numbers, from Walmart stores, or used in crimes at their stores?  See HERE for plenty of examples.  There was a report this week, in fact, of an AR-15 rifle stolen right out of the display case, which a man stuffed into his clothes and walked out of the store with, unhindered.  HERE's a case from this year where nine assault rifles were stolen.  HERE's another from this year where six were stolen.

Over 122,000 people have signed a petition urging Walmart to stop sales of assault rifles.

Walmart already bans a lot of different products it considers "harmful," including CDs, books, the morning after pill, and even a pregnant Barbie doll.  So why then does it continue to sell weapons designed to kill people?

From an article:

U.S. District Judge Leonard Stark in Wilmington, Delaware on Wednesday said the world's largest retailer wrongly excluded such a proposal from Trinity Church, a historic Wall Street church, from its June 6 annual meeting.

Stark also granted Trinity an injunction preventing Wal-Mart from excluding the proposal from proxy materials for its 2015 annual meeting, saying a vote would serve the public interest.

The proposal would require the governance committee of Wal-Mart's board to more closely examine the sale of products that might endanger public safety, hurt Wal-Mart's reputation, or offend "family and community values" integral to the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company's brand.

Trinity said these products might include guns with clips holding more than 10 rounds, a type it said "enabled" mass killings in Newtown, Connecticut and Aurora, Colorado; or music that depicts sex or violence. It said Wal-Mart already limits sales of such music.

The April 1 lawsuit was filed two weeks after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued a "no action" letter signaling it would not punish Wal-Mart for excluding the proposal.

Stark said that while it was too late to do anything about the 2014 annual meeting, the SEC letter did not end the matter. He went on to reject Wal-Mart's argument that Trinity's proposal was too vague, potentially covering a broad swath of products. 

"The proposal does not dictate any particular outcome or micro-manage Wal-Mart's day-to-day business," Stark wrote. 

Wal-Mart spokesman Randy Hargrove said the retailer may appeal the decision.

UPDATE (12/9/14):  Read a statement from the plaintiff, Trinity Church, HERE.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Washington man uses Walmart to reload assault weapons during shooting spree of police stations

Occurred October 15, 2014.


A man in Washington state, Hans Hansen, decided he didn't want to live anymore due to hard times, so he went on a shooting spree, firing at police department buildings in Granite Falls and Lake Stevens and firing at a Marysville police officer, before being wounded and stopped.

He used a variety of handguns and rifles, including two semi-auto assault rifles (an AK-47 and AR-15).

Along the way, he stopped to reload and rearm with ammunition at a local Walmart, which conveniently sells the ammo (and weapons).

From an article (bolding added):

Hansen allegedly explained to detectives that his cabinet business had failed, and he'd been evicted from the industrial park in the 17100 block of Mountain Loop Highway in Granite Falls. He said he has a vascular disease and one of his legs must be amputated soon. Hansen also said he expected to lose his house in January because he hasn't been able to pay the mortgage.

He said an argument with his wife also triggered the gunfire spree. She had sent him an upsetting text message earlier in the day. Hansen told detectives he starting drinking.

Hansen thought about firing on police when they came to evict him.

However, he decided to gather several guns that he owned and go to several locations where police might be so he could fire at cars and buildings and engage the police in a gunfight and be killed," sheriff's detective Tedd Betts wrote.

Hansen loaded up his pickup with two AK-47 rifles, one AR-15 rifle, two .22-caliber rifles, one .300-caliber Winston short magnum rifle, a shotgun and a .40-caliber handgun. He admitted to firing multiple rounds into a building at the industrial park in Granite Falls.

He reloaded and drove to the Granite Falls Police Department. There he shot up an unoccupied patrol car. He also targeted empty patrol cars at the Lake Stevens Police Department. Bullets hit the station, too.

He stopped at Marysville Walmart on Highway 9 to reload. He said he was headed to the Marysville Police Department when he spotted a patrol car. Hansen said he turned into a residential area, and police followed him.

Hansen decided to fire on police, using his AK-47 and AR-15. One of the rifles was loaded with steel-core ammunition, which he told detectives he knew could penetrate vehicles, brick walls and telephone poles, Betts wrote.

Police say Hansen shot six police vehicles in all.

Hansen reportedly told detectives that he had planned to shoot up the Marysville department and then move on to the Navy Support Complex in Marysville. He figured that military personnel would kill him if police were not successful.

The Granite Falls father is facing multiple counts of first-degree assault and drive-by shooting.

Walmart continues to sell assault rifles and ammo for them, despite numerous cases where they have been stolen, sometimes in large quantities, from Walmart stores, or used in attacks on Walmart properties.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

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.

Petition urging Walmart to stop selling guns for children

Despite Walmart having an awful record with gun violence, as this blog shows, they nonetheless continue to sell firearms.  

Sadly, one market that they sell firearms to is children.  Yes, children.  No, they don't sell them directly to kids, but rather to the parents for use by the children.  

Sensible people know that guns don't belong in the hands of small children, but that doesn't stop pro-gun extremists from arming their kids, nor does it stop Walmart from selling guns to them for that purpose.

Crickett is a company that makes such guns and directly markets them to children.  See HERE for examples of their marketing, and HERE to see one of their commercials.  The guns come in neato colors, making them look like toys.  There's even pink for little girls.  And Walmart is all too happy to help sell them.  From an article:

On its website, Wal-Mart markets the Crickett as a "youth rifle," while Gander Mountain's site describes it as a "great beginner's gun."

"All are lightweight and easy for youngsters to carry at the range and in the woods," reads the Crickett description on Cabela's site, which describes it as "a fun firearm to get your young shooter started with."

Wal-Mart did not immediately comment on whether their policy on sales of guns for children would change.

2-year old Carolyn Starks and her 5-year old brother

Here's a case where one of those .22-caliber Cricket rifles was used by a 5-year old boy to kill his 2-year old sister, Carolyn Starks.

The Coalition Against Gun Violence has launched a petition urging Walmart to stop this sickening sale of guns for small children.  I urge you to sign it.

From their page:

A new study shows that 20 children and teens are hospitalized every day for gun injuries in the United States.³ Nearly 2,700 children and teens died from gun-related injuries in 2010. U.S. children and teens are 17 times more likely to die from a gun than their peers in 25 other high-income countries combined.⁴

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has made it clear that “the safest home for children is one without a gun.”⁵ According to a past president of the AAP, “Firearm injuries are often fatal—there are few second chances. Young children are curious, and are often unable to remember or follow safety rules. Older children and teens naturally tend to be moody and impulsive. When you combine these traits with access to guns, the consequences can be tragic and permanent.”

Please sign the petition, and let's bring some sense to Walmart.  Otherwise, they will continue to be dealers of death.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Walmart already surpasses number of shootings at their stores from last year, with three more months to go!

Last year, as I chronicled, Walmart stores had at least 54 shootings on their properties, plus at least 24 other non-shooting gun crimes.

This year they are going to blow that number out of the water.

As of yesterday, October 2, Walmart surpassed the number of shootings from last year.  The 55th and 56th shootings this year were an accidental shooting in a Connecticut Walmart by a legal conceal handgun carrier (one of at least 14 incidents by legal carriers since I started this blog, 10 of which have been this year!), and a suicide at a Montana Walmart by a man who had just purchased his shotgun there.  Wow.  

As I post at the running list of Walmart shootings, so far this year, there have been 56 shootings, with 19 dead and 31 injured.

Additionally, non-shooting incidents this year have included 49 armed robberies with guns, 12 incidents of guns and ammo stolen, and one plotted mass shooting.  That's twice the number I found last year!

There have also been four suicides (including one murder/suicide). 

There are three months more to go in 2013.  With 1-2 shootings a week, now, that means that the number of shootings is likely to be around 65 this year.  We'll see....

You would think incidents like these would get Walmart to re-think its policies on allowing conceal carry in its stores and continuing to sell guns, and maybe actually DO something to reduce gun deaths, like patrol more of their parking lots.

But profits come first, I guess, above the safety of their employees and customers.

Sign THIS petition today, to urge them to change.

Walmart, how many shootings does it take for you to change??

This is why their logo should say:
Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Walmart hypocritically helps with gun turn-in by offering gift cards that can be used to buy guns

Back in early August, a Walmart store offered a grant of gift cards to the local police force, in Sumter, South Carolina.

Gun buy-back programs remove thousands of guns from homes each year that are in dangerously bad working order or are from homes where they are likely to be misused or stolen and are unneeded, keeping the guns out of the hands of children or criminals.

From an article:

"We've been considering doing this for quite some time, but we wanted to be able to provide something of value for the guns," said Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark. 

Officers found their incentive in the form of a pre-loaded gift card. The police department received a grant from Walmart and redeemed it for gift cards in several different amounts, which will be handed out in exchange for different types of weapons. 

Someone turning in a handgun will receive a $50 Walmart gift card. A long gun can be traded in for a $25 Walmart gift card, and an assault weapon will get you a gift card worth $100 (while supplies last).

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/08/04/2899569/sumter-police-department-offers.html#storylink=cpy

The gun turn-in was held at local churches.

Guns for sale at Sumter Walmart (source)

This is a generous and unexpected offer from Walmart, who is the world's leading retail seller for guns.

Unfortunately, there's nothing to stop those who drop off their guns for gift cards then turning around, entering the Walmart store, and using them to purchase more guns and ammo.  So it's basically an empty gesture to make Walmart look good despite their heavily-tarnished image for gun crimes.

Thanks anyway, Walmart.

It should be pointed out that there have been seven gun crimes and shootings at Walmart stores in South Carolina since fall of 2012.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Pennsylvania man shoots and kills girlfriend with shotgun shells purchased at Walmart

Occurred May 21, 2013.


Gregory Twyman, 44, posted a picture on Facebook of shotgun shells he had purchased at Walmart the week before and announced his plans to kill his girlfriend, in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

The next day, as he planned, he shot his girlfriend, Jamica Woods, several times in the torso with his shotgun.  He then called 911 to turn himself in.

From an article (bolding added):

"Jamica Woods was a kind and loving mother," District Attorney Tom Hogan said in a statement. "This crime was a cold-blooded execution. We will seek justice for Jamica's death."
Woods was killed by several shotgun wounds to her torso. 

In Hogan's notice of intent to seek the death penalty, he says Twyman has "a significant history of felony convictions involving the use or threat of violence to the person," an aggravating circumstance in support of a death sentence. 

The day before the shooting, Twyman posted a photo of a shotgun shell he bought at Walmart on his Facebook page. 

A friend asked what it was, and he identified it as a shell, according to court documents. 

The friend said: "I'm calling the ATF on your ass now...LOL...." 

Twyman wrote: "Gon be too late." 

Another friend wrote: "CIA FBI ATF u know snitches be lurking amongst us on here… lol." 

Twyman replied: "Once I handle my business I don’t give a f---!" 

Then, on May 21, authorities say, he called 911 and said: "I need the police, I just shot my girlfriend."  

The prosecution's death penalty notice will be formally entered when Twyman is arraigned on Thursday.

From another article and news video (bolding added):

Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan called it a "premeditated and cruel." 

"This was not an argument, this was a pre-planned execution," Hogan said. 

Hogan said that Twyman took his time to reload the shotgun to deliver a second shot. 

Twyman, 44, told police that after weeks of fighting he decided to shoot Woods, 37, with shotgun shells he bought "last week at Walmart." 

Police say Twyman predicted the shooting on his Facebook page. The day before the homicide police say that Twyman made his Facebook profile photo a shotgun shell and the banner photo of his own shotgun, according to the affidavit.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Walmart sells lethal guns for kids, yet led the fight to ban candy cigarettes

From Keystone Sporting Arms "Kids Corner" gallery for their Crickett guns

Every day I see report after report of children killed by guns.  All too often, it is because a gun owner allowed their lethal weapon to be within reach of a child.

Most sane people understand that children are naturally curious, impetuous, and unable to fully consider the ramifications of their actions.  That's why there are age limits for so many things, such as entry into bars, driving, voting, purchasing liquor, or buying cigarettes.

Yet, for some bizarre reason, a certain subset of the population thinks that children should nonetheless be given access to guns.  REAL guns.  And not just given access, but even ownership.

It is to this subset that certain gun manufacturers actively market their lethal weapons for children.

A company called Keystone Sporting Arms manufactures and sells small rifles, including the .22 "Cricket", specifically to arm small children.  And by "small" I mean really, really young, like ages 4 or 5.  With nifty colors like pink to attract the children.  See them HERE or HERE.  It's sickening.  They market them with a slogan of "My first rifle."

One 5-year old boy recently used his "first rifle" (a .22 Cricket) to shoot and kill his 2-year old sister.  Keystone must be so proud.

They sell 60,000 of these guns a year...

And who re-sells these guns for them?  Why, Walmart, of course!  Don't believe me?  Go HERE to see for yourself.

Walmart's product page for a pink .22 Crickett gun for children

As I've pointed out before, Walmart bans all sorts of things that they deem "too dangerous" for children, including books, CDs (such as this one from Sheryl Crow), or even a pregnant Barbie doll.

A really ironic thing about this, as pointed out recently by Nash Riggins at HuffingtonPost.com, is that Walmart had previously been a leader in banning candy cigarette sales to children, understanding that candy cigarettes would break down that wall of prohibition in the mind of a child to smoking real cigarettes later in life.  From Nash's article, refering to the death of that 2-year old girl:

NRA members in Texas have already rationalized the young girl's death by shrugging that these weapons 'aren't toys,' and that it 'comes down to the responsibility of adults' to ensure that serious accidents are avoided. For once, they're absolutely right: guns are not toys, and it's the responsibility of adults everywhere to ensure that children aren't set up to make more fatal mistakes just because their gun-toting parents possess an innate desire to condition their children to adore firearms. After all, if candy cigarettes have been scientifically proven to hurt kids, what the hell do you think cute, pint-sized rifles do to them? Perhaps the next time America's biggest retailer campaigns to ban the sale of certain products in order to keep kids safe, it should look to its own sporting goods section.

Another article quotes the coroner and the 2-year old's grandmother:

“It’s a Crickett,” the coroner for Kentucky’s Cumberland County, Gary White, confirmed. “It’s a little rifle for a kid. The little boy’s used to shooting the little gun. Accidents happen with guns.” The victim’s grieving grandmother, Linda Riddle, said: “It was God’s will. It was her time to go, I guess. I just know she’s in heaven right now and I know she’s in good hands with the Lord.”

But it isn't "God's will" that took that child's life.  It was a bullet, from a gun, bought by the boy's parents, sold by Walmart and other distributors, for a gun manufacturer that specifically markets guns to little children.

Walmart will gladly stop the use of paring knives in all its bakeries because of one stupid mistake that almost endangered one child's life, but they will gladly continue selling guns for small children.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Virginia community college shooter purchased his shotgun at a Walmart

Neil A. MacInnis, 18, walked into the New River Community College at New River Valley Mall, in Christiansburg, Virginia, and opened fire, injuring two people in the lobby before being subdued by an off-duty security guard.

He purchased the 12-guage shotgun legally at the local Walmart.

From an article:

The suspect in a shooting at a community college that injured two women legally purchased his weapon two days earlier and told detectives after his arrest he "was having a bad week," police said Monday.

The Christiansburg Police Department said in a news release that Neil A. MacInnis, 18, purchased the 12-gauge shotgun allegedly used in Friday's shooting from a licensed firearms dealer. Court records identified the seller as Walmart.

Nine shell casings were recovered from the New River Valley Mall, the location of a satellite office for New River Community College, police said. The ammunition recovered included slugs, buckshot and bird shot.

How many other criminals purchase their guns from Walmart, America's #1 retail seller of ammo and guns, including assault rifles?

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Walmart bans all knives in bakeries, but still sells guns despite weekly shootings?

Recently, a man bought an Elmo birthday cake for his son's second birthday from a Walmart in Lewiston, Maine.  When they cut into the cake, they discovered that the cake had been baked with a small metal paring knife inside of it!

Naturally, the man and his family were horrified that such a mistake could be made, and immediately reported the issue to the Walmart store that had made it.

Walmart's reaction:  immediately ban the use of knives in all of its bakeries, nationwide!  

From an article (bolding added):

Nathan Bibeau says as the family was slicing into the Elmo birthday cake bought at the Auburn Walmart someone spotted a small metal paring knife. 

Bibeau tells WGME-TV he was "pretty disappointed," and called Walmart immediately. 

Walmart apologized and offered a refund. A corporate spokeswoman said the knife incident "should not have happened," and the retailer was eliminating use of the knives at store bakeries nationwide.

How do you run a bakery without knives?  While I'm glad Walmart is concerned and has taken (over-reactive) steps to address the issue, I'm perplexed.

As I have chronicled here at Walmart Shootings, Walmart averaged more than one shooting a week in 2012, and that doesn't even account for gun crimes (stolen guns, armed robberies, etc) which did not involve shots fired.  In just the first two months of 2013, there have been 11 shootings -- more than one a week (here's a running list).

So Walmart will ban all knives in their bakeries after a single, non-injury incident, but will gladly continue selling guns and ammo, including five different assault rifles, despite weekly carnage on their properties?

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Neil deGrasse Tyson on Walmart

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Schools and non-profits rejecting donations from Walton Family Foundation

Because Walmart continues to take a pro-gun stance and continues to sell assault rifles and ammo, a number of school and non-profit programs are returning or considering the return of money that was donated as grants from the Walton Family Foundation, established by Sam Walton, founder of Walmart.

From an article from Huffington Post online:

A number of charter schools that rely on donations from a charity started by Walmart's founder are questioning whether they should continue accepting the funds in the wake of the Newtown shooting. 

The Walton Family Foundation, established by Sam Walton, has given more money to charter schools than any other private donor, Businessweek reports. But some of those schools are reconsidering whether they should take money from a foundation made up of family members who own more than 48 percent of Walmart, which sells more guns than any other retailer in the U.S. 

The New Media Middle School in Columbus, Ohio –- which has gotten $250,000 in gifts from the foundation -- is one such charter school that doesn’t know if accepting the funds is ethically responsible after a gunman took the lives of 20 students and six faculty members at Sandy Hook Elementary School last month. 

“It’s a dilemma,” Principal Andrew Sweigard told Businessweek. “It’s a moral issue. Can we take funding from a company that is linked to a potential disaster in our school? Do we want to associate ourselves with guns?” 

Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg declined to address the pointed concerns raised by charter schools, Businessweek reported.

Also listed in the article, besides that Ohio charter school, are a charter school in Chicago and a soup kitchen in Arizona.  The soup kitchen actually received more donations BECAUSE they declined the donation from Walmart.

All the shootings (at least 53 in 2012!) and gun-related crimes (at least 21 other incidents in 2012) that happen at Walmart stores certainly seem to lend credence to the idea that Walmart's pro-gun stance is destructive to their mission.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

So far, 85,000 people have signed the petition for Walmart to stop selling assault rifles

Earlier, I had posted about a petition by SumOfUs.org to urge Walmart to stop selling assault rifles, after the massacre in Newtown.

So far, 85,000 people have done so, according to an article:

The petition, on action.SomeOfUs.org, urges Walmart to stop selling the Bushmaster AR-15 -- the high-powered rifle linked to the Newtown shooting -- as well other assault weapons. 

Walmart pulled the listing Bushmaster Patrolman's Carbine M4A3 Rifle from its webstore very shortly after the Sandy Hook shooting, but the company still sold similar rifles in 1,200 of its stores as of December 19, according to Bloomberg. 

Walmart is the largest seller of guns and ammunition in the country, according to the Wall Street Journal. The retailer didn't immediately return a request for comment from The Huffington Post.
Walmart brought guns back to almost half of its stores in 2011, the WSJ reported at the time, after the chain pulled them from its shelves in all but a third of its stores in 2006. Bloomberg reported five days after the Newtown shooting that assault rifles appeared to be out of stock at Walmart stores in five states.

If you haven't done so yet, I urge you to sign the petition.  Let Walmart know that the sale of lethal weapons isn't tolerated, particularly assault rifles.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Walmart bans lots of things, from books to CDs, it deems unacceptable, but still sells assault rifles

Huffington Post online has just published "12 Items Walmart Apparently Considers More Dangerous Than Assault Weapons". Check it out.  Books, CDs (like this one), the morning after pill, and even a pregnant Barbie.

But it still sells guns and ammo, including 5 assault rifle models, despite the recent mass murders using them.  Apparently those aren't dangerous at all (despite being purpose-made to kill), and are in line with their company mission (despite at least 53 shooting incidents in 2012).

Shame on Walmart!  Sign this petition now, to stop further sale of assault rifles by them.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Sheryl Crow sings about Walmart gun sales

No surprise...  Walmart refuses to sell the CD that includes this song.

Love Is A Good Thing
by Sheryl Crow


Lyrics:

Watch out sister, watch out brother,
Watch our children while they kill each other
With a gun they bought at Wal-mart discount stores
Welcome to the hallway, metal detectors just been installed
Hey isn't cops and robbers gettin' to be a big bore
Mary, Mary quite contrary, close the door now,
It's much too scary
And your might see something you wish you hadn't seen
Out of sight, out of time, out of patience,
And I'm out of my mind
Governor, tell me what does it mean
Dance children, dance to the beat
Wanna be a hippy cause life is so sweet
Good morning hate
Dance children, dance to the beat
Wanna rock and roll up and down the street,
I've got a message

Love is a good thing
Love is a good, love is a good,
Love is a good thing

Politicians on a mission,
Build them up, bring them down
For the good of the system
Well we don't like the way you live your life
I got one thing I must express
We try our criminals in the press
Justice is a fading light
Mary, Mary quite contrary, close the door now
It's much too scary
And you might see something you wish you hadn't seen
Out of sight, out of time, out of patience,
And I'm out of my mind
Governor, tell me what does it mean
Dance children, dance to the beat
Wanna be a hippy cause life is so sweet
Good morning hate
Dance children, dance to the beat
Wanna rock and roll up and down the street
I've got a message

Love is a good thing
Love is a good, love is a good,
Love is a good thing



Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Visit your Walmart and demand an end to assault weapon sales

SumOfUs.org is leading a drive to visit your local Walmart store and talk to the store manager, handing them a flier, telling them that you want Walmart to stop selling assault rifles.

Here is a link where you can find instructions:
http://sumofus.org/post/walmart-guns-dropoff/?akid=1166.1096003.1hlEs8&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=1

Here is a link where you can find their flier, which you can print:
http://sou.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/walmart-flier-final.pdf

Walmart continues to sell assault rifles -- five different models, including the Bushmaster .223 that was used in Newtown.

There is also a petition drive, which you can take part in.

Walmart is the number one retail seller of guns in America, and possibly the world.  It's time to end this disgrace.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Petition demands Walmart remove assault rifles

Despite the slaughter of 20 young children and 6 adults by mass shooter Adam Lanza, in Newtown, Connecticut, Walmart still continues to sell assault rifles, including the type used by Lanza.  

The nation is crying out for sensible gun laws and a ban on assault rifles.  But that doesn't matter to the United States' number one seller of guns.  They sell at least five different models, and they're flying off the shelves to the point of backorder.  Clearly profits speaks louder than community safety or basic decency.

Screenshot of the petition site

Now, some responsible citizens at SumOfUs.org are demanding that Walmart stop selling these weapons of mass murder, and have started an online petition.

From the petition site:

Walmart is the largest gun dealer in the US, and it isn’t just selling hunting rifles.
The AR-15 is an assault weapon, designed to kill as many human beings as possible, and was the gun used to kill 20 children in the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary shooting last week. It’s also the gun used to kill 2 people in an Oregon mall the week before, and to kill 12 people in an Aurora, CO movie theater this summer. 

The AR-15 assault rifle has no place in our communities -- but as of last week, it's being sold in over 1,700 Walmarts around the country. Walmart removed the gun from its website, but not its actual stores, and it’s still stocking other semi-automatic rifles. Will we need to wait until the next mass shooting for Walmart to take those guns off the shelves? .... 

There’s good reason to target Walmart. The guns and ammunition on Walmart’s shelves are already leading to bloodshed around the country. When Jared Lee Loughner shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 other people in Tucson last year, he bought his ammunition at a Walmart. A young Missouri man who was arrested while planning to open fire on a screening screening of Twilight in November had purchased an AR-15 and 400 rounds of ammunition at a Walmart. Community leaders and law enforcement personnel from Indiana to Texas report that criminals can easily steal deadly weapons from Walmart display cases.

Page 25 of the Walmart Statement of Ethics

Assault rifles like the AR-15 were designed with only one purpose: killing large numbers of people as fast as possible, firing between 45-100 shots per minute, despite being semi-automatic.  That's overkill for either hunting or self-defense.

On page 25 of the Walmart "Statement of Ethics," the company states, "We’re committed to the health and safety of our customers, members, and associates, because we care for one another."  If that's so, then why do they continue to profit from the business of killing?

Please take a moment and visit the petition site to add your name to the list of those who want an end to the selling of these weapons of mass destruction.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.


UPDATE (1/4/13):  So far, 85,000 people have signed the petition.  If you haven't yet, please do so.

Five Assault Weapons You Can Pick up at Walmart

The Nation online just published a good post showing five different semi-auto assault rifles that you can, at this moment, go and purchase at your local Walmart stores nationwide.  

Link:  http://www.thenation.com/article/171810/five-assault-rifles-you-can-pick-walmart-photos#

These five semi-auto military-style assault rifles include:

1. Bushmaster Patrolman's Carbine M4A3 AR-15-style rifle, comparable to the one used by Adam Lanza to murder 20 young children, all 6 or 7 years old, and 6 adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, as well as his mother beforehand.
2. Sig Sauer M400 Enhanced Carbine rifle
3. Colt M4 OPS .22 rifle
4. Colt LE6920 Carbine rifle
5. Smith & Wesson 811030 MP1522 rifle, similar to the one used by James Holmes in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater massacre.

You can also pick up hollow-point bullets and 30-round ammo magazines for some of these weapons, as well as a tactical shotgun (also used by James Holmes), and all the ammo you want.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.