Would it be the end of the world...

[cush]

...if Wal-mart stopped selling ammo all together?

1. Wal-marts here have been out of ammo for months.
2. Wal-mart has never been a friend of gun owners. If they could make more money selling house paint or motor oil, the gun counter would disappear over night.
3. Given the current ammo crisis, folks have been forced to shop more gun friendly websights and their local LGS. IMO this is better for all of us. I've always been willing to pay my LGS more money to keep their doors open.
4. And personally, I HATE being asked "rifle or handgun" when ever I buy .22 ammo at the Wal-mart. Again, it's worth it to me to pay more just not to answer that question.

I'm just thinking out loud this morning. Your thoughts?

 

[Scopes]

It all depends on your store. There are actually quite a few enthusiasts who have fallen on hard times and are working there. If you get one of those, you can actually have a nice conversation. But if you get the average teenager who just got placed there from the snack bar, good luck.

 

[Majorlk]

...if Wal-mart stopped selling ammo all together?

1. Wal-marts here have been out of ammo for months.
2. Wal-mart has never been a friend of gun owners. If they could make more money selling house paint or motor oil, the gun counter would disappear over night.
3. Given the current ammo crisis, folks have been forced to shop more gun friendly websights and their local LGS. IMO this is better for all of us. I've always been willing to pay my LGS more money to keep their doors open.
4. And personally, I HATE being asked "rifle or handgun" when ever I buy .22 ammo at the Wal-mart. Again, it's worth it to me to pay more just not to answer that question.

I'm just thinking out loud this morning. Your thoughts?

Like to back this statement up? There's no evidence to support this contention. WalMart corporate has always been supportive of the right to carry and follows whatever the local law on the subject is. Individual managers ... that's another matter, but when one of them tromps on a customer's carry rights, corporate quickly deals with the problem and re-educates the manager as to corporate policy.

 

[cush]

Like to back this statement up? There's no evidence to support this contention. WalMart corporate has always been supportive of the right to carry and follows whatever the local law on the subject is. Individual managers ... that's another matter, but when one of them tromps on a customer's carry rights, corporate quickly deals with the problem and re-educates the manager as to corporate policy.

Just one example...

Wal-Mart caves to gun control whims | Gun Owners of America

 

[Majorlk]

Just one example...

Wal-Mart caves to gun control whims | Gun Owners of America

That was ONE store and it was a local issue, not corporate policy.

If WalMart was anti-gun corporately, it would not be the largest ammo retailer in the country, nor the largest firearms retailer in the country.

 

[Rapidray]

I have not found that to be the case here in the Georgia area, as the employee are nice and very gun friendly! Because of the greatest gun and ammo salesman of the century, "O", I have to be there first thing in the morning to see what has come in.

Plus they sell stuff online and the catalog that they do not stock! So they are gun friendly! Floor space is thru customer spending. What ever you sell the most will get the most floor space.

As for rifle or handgun? That requires a simple reply. I remember when stores had to keep an ATF ammo log of sales! That's right, name and address and what you bought!

They are our friends!

 

[Majorlk]

As for rifle or handgun? That requires a simple reply. I remember when stores had to keep an ATF ammo log of sales! That's right, name and address and what you bought!

They are our friends!

The new folks are too young to remember those days. And Obama wants to bring them back, as do the traditional anti-gun states.

 

[buddyleewv]

The reason they ask handgun or rifle at least in SC is you have to be 18 for rifle ammo and 21 for handgun.

 

[murphydog]

More legal access to firearms and ammunition is better than less. Wal-Mart does a good job of this despite public sentiment, business decisions and laws that forced just about everyone else out.

I grew up in a now extremely anti-gun state. Not to pick on them, but...K Mart, JC Penney, Sears, Montgomery Ward, Oshman's, etc., all used to have gun departments where I lived. No fair guessing the only chain store that still has one, albeit outside (a major) city limits?

I say support them when you can (no, I don't work for Wally World ).

 

[Majorlk]

The reason they ask handgun or rifle at least in SC is you have to be 18 for rifle ammo and 21 for handgun.

That's federal law, I believe, but I could be wrong.

 

[cush]

Gentlemen, I was thinking out loud this morning and hoping for some good discussion. So far, so good.

Personally, I don't think that Wal-mart is necessarily an ally in the fight to protect the 2nd Amendment, but that is just my opinion. I welcome others. I may be way off base, but I think big box stores have sealed the fates of some local gun shops and I don't think that is a good thing. Will I continue to purchase ammo from Wal-mart? Sure...some. But the lion share of my business will go to the LGS.

 

[murphydog]

They are a business and sell much more (dollar and volume-wise) than guns and ammunition. What they have done is allowed the local markets to determine what they can or should do and not run away from the business completely. If there is enough opposition (or lack of sales volume) they could change their minds in the future, but so far they've stuck with gun owners.

 

[shawn mccarver]

The new folks are too young to remember those days. And Obama wants to bring them back, as do the traditional anti-gun states.

I remember those days. "Is this box of 22 LR for use in a handgun or rifle?" Another example of a government idea that was stupid from its inception.

I suppose the fact that I remember buying ammo under such stupidity makes me an "oldie."

 

[Majorlk]

Gentlemen, I was thinking out loud this morning and hoping for some good discussion. So far, so good.

Personally, I don't think that Wal-mart is necessarily an ally in the fight to protect the 2nd Amendment, but that is just my opinion. I welcome others. I may be way off base, but I think big box stores have sealed the fates of some local gun shops and I don't think that is a good thing. Will I continue to purchase ammo from Wal-mart? Sure...some. But the lion share of my business will go to the LGS.

No one said they were an ally; but there's nothing to support your contentions that they are anti-shooter, either.

As for killing the LGS, not in Connecticut. There are more local gun stores than there are WM stores and all of them are doing just fine. We have one that, over the course of the year, probably sells at least as much, if not more, ammo than all the WM in the state combined. The only place that sells more the this LGS is Cabela's.

You just don't like the big box store concept.

 

[Majorlk]

They are a business and sell much more (dollar and volume-wise) than guns and ammunition. What they have done is allowed the local markets to determine what they can or should do and not run away from the business completely. If there is enough opposition (or lack of sales volume) they could change their minds in the future, but so far they've stuck with gun owners.

Well said. WM follows local laws and demands.

 

[Sqarlincarl]

well right now the one in Phenix city AL isn't able to keep up with the demand part but who is.

 

[Sqarlincarl]

Bobermo you are absolutley right i have managed to be there early enough to grab three winchester white box 9mm luger would have got more but thats all they will let you get three per customer which i guess is fair giving how everything is.I asked when they would have more in the lady told me they get three to four big boxes every morning but since all there ammo is on backorder they never know what caliber it's going to be but they unbox it every morning so you have to be there.

 

[SW_shooter]

In this area I haven't ever seen a WM sell firearms. The one closest to me sells a small amount of ammo and tus when these crazy runs occur they have nothing in the case. Since I moved to this particular sub-burb in '08 the hunting section at this WM has progressively gotten smaller and smaller to the point they have probably less than 20' of display and one medium sized ammo case. I only buy there to save .50/box when they have something I need/want. As someone previously mentioned, the person usually working in this area is not friendly or knowledgable and just putting in time until their lunch break. In fact you have to go to the automotive desk and ask them to call for someone to come open the ammo case since the store doesn't assign anyone to the "hunting" department as it is almost non-existant.

 

[Hillbilly77]

I just bought 2 boxes of .357 magnum ammo from my local Wal-Mart on Thursday.
It was the dirty-shooting Remington target ammo, but it was also the only .357 ammo I've seen anywhere in several weeks. It beats not shooting at all.
From what I've seen, Wal-Mart (at least locally) is one of few stores that are not taking advantage of the current "situation" and price-gouging. The ammo (when you can find it) is only about $1/box higher than "before".

An LGS is somehow still getting plenty of .22LR, and charging $39/brick which is about 80% higher than before.

As far as I'm concerned, the more big stores like Wal-Mart are able to supply ammo, the sooner it will force the gougers to get over themselves.

 

[Hillbilly77]

If you don't mind me asking, what does Walmart charge for the Winchester white box 115g 9mm? I picked up some 100 round value pack boxes of Target 115g FMJ at Sports Authority for $30. I figured that was a decent price but maybe a little higher than elsewhere, but it was in stock.

I just paid $25 for the same stuff at my local WM, so I guess $30 isn't terrible, especially considering that Gander is charging $20 for a 50-round box of WWB 9mm.