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WalMart still questionable...

Kevin Jensen

State Researcher
Joined
Feb 23, 2007
Messages
2,313
Location
Santaquin, Utah, USA
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My sister is a manager at our local Sam’s Club. She has received complaints from some of her employees about my wife open carrying in the store. My wife also used to work there, so that is how they recognized her. The employees believe that it is against the store policy to carry openly. It is against their policy for employees, but she no longer works there.

So I decided to make some phone calls today. I read somewhere that Wal-Mart lets each district manager decide if they should allow firearms in their stores. So I called the district manager for our local Sam’s Club to ask. He was out of town, so his assistant took my number and my concern and said she would call me back.

I then called the district manager of our local Wal-Mart. He was also out of town, so I asked his assistant if they prohibit lawful open carry. He said "You cannot carry firearms in our stores." Then he said, "Oh, wait... are you an employee or a customer?" I replied that I was a customer and he said "Oh, you are OK to carry. We only prohibit our associates from carrying guns." I told him thank you and that was it.

A few minutes later I received a call from a man named Bill. His number is 479-586-6008. The 479 prefix is from Arkansas so I can only assume he was calling from the corporate office in Bentonville, Arkansas. The assistant at Sam’s Club had this gentleman call me about the policy.

I again asked if Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club prohibits the lawful open carry of firearms. He said if I had a Concealed Firearm Permit, then I was OK to carry concealed. I told him that I choose not to conceal, and I openly carry on my hip. He said you cannot do that. "If you carry openly you will be asked to leave the store!" I told him that my wife and I have been shopping at our local Sam’s and Wal-Mart for years and have never been questioned about our firearms.

We started to argue a little and Bill became difficult to talk to. So I asked him to fax or email the policy stating this so I could take my money and my gun elsewhere. He said if I want that info then I need to contact Wal-Mart’s legal department and ask them. (Legal would not talk to me because I am not a lawyer)

Like I said before… We have never been hassled before, I just called to verify. If anyone else wants to call him the number is posted above. Just thought I would share this.
 

color of law

Accomplished Advocate
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Oct 7, 2007
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5,936
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Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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Did a non-attorney in their legal department tell you their attorneys can't talk to a non-attorney.

The last time I was in court the attorney for the plaintiff had to talk to me. And I'm not an attorney. The plaintiff lost the case. May be WalMart attorneys don't want to talk to non-attorneys is because they know that they would be out brained.

Most attorneys don't understand "Reductio ad adsurdum." I DID NOT SAY ALL ATTORNEYS.

Asking a company to send you their policy is not unreasonable.

Until you have their written policy you don't have anything or posted on the door.
 

Evil Ernie

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2007
Messages
779
Location
Castle Rock, Colorado, USA
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I've OCed in my local WallyWorld. Only got a couple odd looks from the few folks that noticed but other than that, no biggie. Prior to entering OC, I've checked all the entrances for a sign or notice but there were none, so OC I went!
 

Mike

Site Co-Founder
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May 13, 2006
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Fairfax County, Virginia, USA
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Just keep carrying.

It's like the US Navy's freedom of navigation exercises. Every few years a USN aircraft carrier battle group sails thru the international waters between China and Taiwan, usually to, achem, "avoid stormy weather in the Pacific."
 

DreQo

State Researcher
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Jan 8, 2007
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Minnesota
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It's been my experience around here that the Wal-Marts take their cues from local law, but the Sams Clubjustifies makingup their own policies since they're "private". I had a run-in with a Sams Club manager that told me exactly that. She asked me to leave it in the car, so I came back with CC bag. She saw it immediately and gave me a dirty look, but kept her mouth shut. I make it a point to say hi whenever I see her there. She's always very nice and incredibly nervous lol.
 

Mainsail

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Apr 24, 2007
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Silverdale, Washington, USA
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I went around with the Wal-Mart near me. The local manager insisted that firearms were not allowed in the store, even concealed. The district manager told me that concealed was ok, but open carry was not. After I explained that open carry is legal in WA, he affirmed that Wal-Mart policy is to mirror the state law for whatever state the store is in. There is no blanket corporate policy because the firearms laws are so widely varied. They would not provide me anything in writing either.



You can always combine a nice afternoon OC BBQ with a picket line outside the store if they want to discriminate against you. A few signs with slogans like, “Wal-Mart is against the Constitution!”, or “Wal-Mart discriminates against Freedom!” might make the regional managers rethink their position.
 

WhiteRabbit22

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Oct 18, 2007
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You wouldn't want the cops charging you with inciting a riot though. i wouldn't put it below them.
 

XD40coyote

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Oct 29, 2007
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706
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woman stuck in Maryland, ,
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I've never seen anyone OCing at my local walmart, and I am not about to test the waters either, but hey they sell the cheap white box winchester ammo, so I still go there. The lady that works sporting goods is really nice too, always asks me about my trapping and how I am doing.

I am sure that at any time there are some doing ccw in there though. Shrewsbury, PA in York County...

Doesn't seem OC is being done too much in southern York County... alot of Maryland transplants there, maybe they would get too hysterical, so no one wants to test the waters.
 

lordnitrox

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Oct 31, 2007
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, ,
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ahh...good ol wal*mart...how i love and hate it so. I have not had a lot of issues there, other then one of the women in the granden center. It was the normal
"sir you can't have guns in here" deal...after I asked to speak to the manager and not her she left and did not come back. At the time I did not really care and went on shopping, paid and left. Then maybe a week later I saw her and the manager walking to someplace and just got a smile. I'm thinking she was told off by someone and was told that it's ok.
 

WhiteRabbit22

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lordnitrox wrote:
It was the normal "sir you can't have guns in here" deal...


I find this statement rediculous, seeing as they sell guns and ammo there. There's some Walmarts that have sign near the sporting goods section that says "Ammunition shall not be sold to armed customers." or something to that effect. Which makes no sense. Are they worried I'm going to buy ammo shoot the place up? why would I buy it then? Plus, if I'm armed, I've already got ammo on me, so it's not like you're making much of a difference.
 

UTOC-45-44

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Feb 22, 2007
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Morgan, Utah, USA
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EVERY time I go to Wal-mart I OC. I spend about 30-60min almost every time together with my wife and so far NEVER been approached by ANYONE. I have been to SEVERAL W-m stores in the Salt Lake Valley.

( A side note. Last weekend my wife and I was @ the local Costco and I wasshootin' the breezethe Manager as we were paying. He has seen me Plenty of times OCing in there and he just this time around asked me if I was a LEO and I said -"No". He said that he doesn't care that I carry and he said that he has his own arsenal at home. )
 

OC-Glock19

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Jun 13, 2006
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559
Location
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
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SGT Jensen wrote:
...So I decided to make some phone calls today. I read somewhere that Wal-Mart lets each district manager decide if they should allow firearms in their stores. So I called the district manager for our local Sam’s Club to ask. He was out of town, so his assistant took my number and my concern and said she would call me back.

I then called the district manager of our local Wal-Mart. He was also out of town, so I asked his assistant if they prohibit lawful open carry. He said "You cannot carry firearms in our stores." Then he said, "Oh, wait... are you an employee or a customer?" I replied that I was a customer and he said "Oh, you are OK to carry. We only prohibit our associates from carrying guns." I told him thank you and that was it...
If you don't think you're going to like the answer you're going to get, don't ask the question. Honestly, if store managers are asked to make a decision on the spot when you ask a question like that you're most likely going to create more problems than you'll solve.NEVER ask for permission to carry a gun in a store. If they have a policy in place prohibiting guns they MAY let you know about it when you shop there while carrying.
 

DreQo

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Jan 8, 2007
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2,350
Location
Minnesota
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OC-Glock19 wrote:
SGT Jensen wrote:
...So I decided to make some phone calls today. I read somewhere that Wal-Mart lets each district manager decide if they should allow firearms in their stores. So I called the district manager for our local Sam’s Club to ask. He was out of town, so his assistant took my number and my concern and said she would call me back.

I then called the district manager of our local Wal-Mart. He was also out of town, so I asked his assistant if they prohibit lawful open carry. He said "You cannot carry firearms in our stores." Then he said, "Oh, wait... are you an employee or a customer?" I replied that I was a customer and he said "Oh, you are OK to carry. We only prohibit our associates from carrying guns." I told him thank you and that was it...
If you don't think you're going to like the answer you're going to get, don't ask the question. Honestly, if store managers are asked to make a decision on the spot when you ask a question like that you're most likely going to create more problems than you'll solve.NEVER ask for permission to carry a gun in a store. If they have a policy in place prohibiting guns they MAY let you know about it when you shop there while carrying.
I think the point of him calling and asking is to see whether the local manager was lying about the "policy". He had already been told no, so the worst that can happen is he'll be told no again. I think it's a good idea to confirm the corporate policy when confronted by a local manager.
 

Freeflight

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Messages
306
Location
Yorktown VA, ,
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I was in Both SAMS and Wal-Mart this weekend. Spent a lot of time in both.

In the Wal-Mart they had the CASH buggy going from Register to Register as I approached the checkouts. I thought for a second.. Oh boy this may be awkward. But nothing happened, I placed my items on the conveyor as the ladies behind me with the cash buggy and Strong box (made of pine) emptied the register directly to my strong-side. If they didn't see my 1911 they are blind.

not a word.
 

deepdiver

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Apr 2, 2007
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5,820
Location
Southeast, Missouri, USA
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I looked into this issue last spring. This is what is apparently a form letter Wal-Mart corporate sends out re: handguns in their stores. I have seen iterations of this letter online dated from 1998-2003:
[font="Verdana, sans-serif"][/font]
DATE: Friday, April 16,1999 2:13 PM Subject: RE: Firearms Thank you for contacting Wal-Mart regarding our concealed handgun policy. Wal-Mart was founded by Sam Walton on three basic principles. Strive for Excellence, Service to our Customers, and Respect for the Individual. It is that respect for the individual that led us to create the current policy pertaining to concealed handguns. The following is our policy......If a Wal-Mart customer has been awarded a concealed handgun license by the state government, Wal-Mart will follow the direction of the state. However, if at anytime while on Wal-Mart property, that customer's concealed weapon becomes visible to Wal-Mart associates or customers, Wal-Mart reserves the right to ask the customer to either reposition the weapon so that it will not be visible, to remove the weapon completely or to leave Wal-Mart property, With the exception of law enforcement personnel, Wal-Mart does not allow any exposed weapons to be worn or carried in public view on Wal-Mart property or in Wal-Mart stores. Customers other than law enforcement personnel wearing or carrying a weapon in an exposed manner will be asked to leave the property immediately. We appreciate your concern and trust that this message has addressed your concerns regarding this issue. Thank you, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
While the letter states that Wal-Mart does not allow open carry, speaking to local assistant managers I know has indicated that this is usually handled as a local management decision. I don't know any Wal-Mart store GMs to ask about this. I have seen statements online that if your local Wal-Mart posts signs banning concealed carry, that a call to corporate with a complaint will result in a removal of the "no concealed weapons" signs, but I have never seen any proof besides forum statements to this effect. A google search will find copies of these letters and news stories as to this corporate policy, but you have to wade through a lot of other stuff about handgun sales and gun control (or maybe I just suxor at teh googling).
 

AbNo

Regular Member
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Jun 8, 2007
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Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
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Hell, I've never seen a "No CC" sign on a Wal-mart.

I'll document the removal process if I do.

I'll also make it a point to OC blatantly while I'm in there. :p
 
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