–My original email:

Comments: It comes as sad news to me that you’ve aligned yourself with Bloomberg with regards to firearms. Sam Walton might very well be turning in his grave. You’ve capitulated to a billionaire extortionist who happens to own a massive share of Wal-Mart stock and undermined every US citizens 2nd Amendment right in one fell swoop. If you’re so willing to compromise with criminals (i.e.: Bloomberg’s “sting operation” and ordering his peons to conduct straw purchases), then I will no longer be shopping at Wal-Mart either. Good day!

–Here is their reply:

Subject: Response from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Ref #000000019336661)
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:39:57 -0500
From: cstreply@wal-mart.com
To: (intentionally omitted)

Thank you for your message.

Dear (RedneckInNY),

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

For further correspondence regarding this issue, please reply to this email.

–And here’s what I just wrote back:

You obviously don’t know that Bloomberg’s ultimate agenda is to ban all guns from law-abiding citizens’ hands. So before you tell me that you and Bloomberg are making strides to combat illegal gun activity, ask yourself this question: what makes the activity with a gun illegal? Could it be the actual criminal that is using said gun illegally? There really is no such thing as an “illegal gun.” Gun manufacturers are legally licensed to produce them and gun dealers are legally licensed to sell them and law-abiding citizens are legally able to purchase them and use them for lawful purposes. What’s really illegal is the activity that criminals engage in with the use of the tool. You really need to inform yourself of Bloomberg’s real agenda, because he’s misleading you. He also wants to get rid of the Tiahrt amendment because he can’t access the records of licensed gun owners, but the Tiahrt amendment was specifically designed to protect law-enforcement. He claims his police can’t access that database, but he’s wrong on that. It’s designed so that law-enforcement CAN access it. Again, he’s misleading you and the public into thinking that the Tiahrt amendment is a bad thing. If any Joe Shmoe could access that information, that would put a lot of law enforcement people at risk, not to mention the law-abiding gun owner. Where do you suppose criminals get their guns? They steal them. If they are allowed to access the gun database, they’d know exactly which house to go to get their guns. That leaves no one safe. Sorry to tell you, but you’re grossly mislead by Bloomberg. Bloomberg conducted his own illegal sting operation, for which a few of the gun dealers he maligned are suing him for defamation. The Feds were all ready to go after Bloomberg, but they came to a deal. Go figure. Money sure can buy one’s way out of anything, huh?

What’s more, I wonder how much of Wal-Mart’s stock Bloomberg owns.

–They really are being mislead by Bloomberg.

Dear Donald,

Thank you,
Wal-Mart Customer Relations

Unfortunately, me being a resident of the People’s Republik of Kalifornistan, it will be more-or-less meaningless – I am not sure if Wallyworld was ever permitted to sell anyuthing even remotely relating to firearms in its existence here…

Target has been anti-gun and anti-hunting for as long as I can remember. They contribute heavily to some anti-hunting organizations. If you want to support a store that is still pretty good on the gun front, I’d suggest Ace Hardware for the things they carry. Most of the Ace stores I know actually have a sporting goods and gun section.

This new policy treats anyone buying a firearm like a criminal (or future criminal) just because they buy a rifle or shotgun. Such an an affront to the dignity of myself and your other customers will not be tolerated by me and I am encouraging everyone I know to also take their business elsewhere.