Walmart takes a meaningless stand for gun control – Washington Examiner, Washingtonexaminer.com

          

The U.S. ‘ largest retailer has been in a tough public relations position for years. In the wake of several high-profile mass shootings, gun control advocates have called on Walmart to stop selling guns and ammunition entirely. In response, the company has repeatedly caved, albeit not completely.

          

In 2018, after the horrific mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida , Walmartraised the minimum agefor gun and ammunition purchase by three years, from 18 to 21. And just on Tuesday, after another shooting in Texas over the weekend, Walmart CEO Doug McMillonannouncedadditional changes. As reported by theWashington Examiner:

          

          

Partisan reactions aside, the long-term significance of Walmart’s policy change isn’t immediately obvious. It will do little to sway overall public opinion of the discount chain, and absolutely nothing to quell gun violence and mass shootings.

          

It’s hard to believe that Walmart’s opponents, who also take issue with the disparity in pay between its CEO and hourly employees among other things, will have a change of heart and suddenly begin to shop there. Conversely, Americans who frequent the nationwide chain because it allows their family budget to stretch the furthest will most likely not abandon the store entirely just to make a political point.

          

And ammunition is always available elsewhere. In addition, not all Second Amendment supporters are comfortable with open carry and some believe concealed carry is a much more smart, tactical move – so Walmart is unlikely to incur much of a boycott for that change, either.

          

But Walmart’s message is not about its customers. Instead, it’s an attempt by a decidedly Middle American brand to come out as anti-gun violence. But this isn’t some bold stance: Literally everyone except actual criminals is against gun violence and abhors mass shootings.

          

Still, their decision won’t have any impact on gun-related violence and mass shootings. At first glance, Walmart may seem like a supply haven for a would-be shooter. However, its share in gun market sales onlytotals about 2%.Frankly, Walmart can’t make much of a difference, and this latest action will never satisfy long-time critics .

                     

Time and again, the reaction to gun-related crimes is to limit firearm or ammunition sales and tighten restrictions. Walmart is absolutely free to do as it pleases in its marketplace, but it bears repeating: Despite the fact that they’ve sold guns, ammunition, and allowed open carry to varying degrees for years, Walmart did not create the problem of gun violence. Ultimately, they are incapable of fixing it, too.

          

Kimberly Ross (@ SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to theWashington Examiner‘s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.