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Walmart and sportsmen
An interesting article. I didn't have time a while back to blog about Warmart's deal with Bloomberg to do things like videotape firearm sales. It was interesting, since (outside of Alaska) Walmart only sells hunting rifles and shotguns. I guess Bloomberg has bigger targets than urban handguns... oh, and the linked page has a link to where you can give Walmart some feedback.
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Mr. Hardy, what do they sell in Alaska? Handguns?
Gave Wal-Mart corp my feedback when this first became news, basically telling them 'so long, never shopping there again'
Got a form letter in reply
Dear DWR,
Wal-Mart understands its role as a leading, responsible retailer in the U.S. and is making strides to strengthen its already existing security processes to help combat illegal gun activity in the communities we serve. Wal-Mart has a long and proud history of offering the products hunters and outdoorsmen want and need and that will not change.
It is important to note that these procedures should not impede law-abiding citizens from purchasing firearms at our stores that sell them. These processes merely provide us, as a retailer, an additional mechanism to assist law enforcement when illegal activity occurs.
We are hopeful these enhanced processes with help from law enforcement and other retailers committing to do the same can make a positive difference in our communities.
Thank you,
Wal-Mart Customer Relations
I wonder if Florida Statute 790.335 prohibits wally mart from vidio taping and associating that tape with a specific firearm. In part...
PROHIBITIONS.--No state governmental agency or local government, special district, or other political subdivision or official, agent, or employee of such state or other governmental entity or any other person, public or private, shall knowingly and willfully keep or cause to be kept any list, record, or registry of privately owned firearms or any list, record, or registry of the owners of those firearms
If the records are kept voluntarily by a private entity, and the person consents to having his video picture taken, I don't think it would be illegal...Don't know, I'm not a lawyer. However, they won't have my picture on their system, as I won't be there.
I said this on the previous thread, but I thing that after Walmart becomes established in New York City, they will fold this hand if pressed even a little. It may remain in effect in New York City, but the agreement was put in place so that Walmart could open stores in NYC. I think the proper thing to do is gin up the boycott mill, send nastygrams and find state or possibly federal laws that will serve as basis for
Taping hundreds of thousands of transactions on the 'chance' that one of those transactions will provide critical support to a felony conviction is absurd. "Here are the videos for the last year. Good luck."
Will they have the camera running full time? Will the cashier be required to flip a switch or press a button to start the recording? Will it be on some sort of detector and start recording when someone steps up to the counter?
Visual and audio recordings are treated differently in some states, are they going to record what is said as well?
(Hand guns are not sold in Ketchikan Alaska, are they sold in the interior?)
I've bought all kinds of things at WalMart, including ammo and gun storage cabinets, food, clothes, housewares. I dismissed the idea that they put local shops out of business because they were meeting a need in the marketplace, supplying quality goods at lower prices. If they're going to start imposing another agenda on their communities by exceeding the requirements of the law in video taping firearms transactions, my dealings with WalMart are over. They can come into a small community, make it impossible for a local gun shop to stay in business competitively, and then by policy decision stop handling firearms or ammo altogether. They're not friends of the second amendment, they're friends of the politically correct.