Walmart Carry Issue

[Benjamin.henryii]

I OC every day, on the 21st of March I was at the Walmart at 5051 L St Omaha, NE (402) 541-0820. After completing my shopping an assistant manager informed me that it was against Walmart’s corporate policy to allow any customer into a store with a firearm in their possession, and that next time I enter the store to leave my firearm in my vehicle. My response was “I respect the decision of a private business, and will not bring a firearm into your store at your wishes. However I encourage you to check with corporate as I have spoken with them in the past and I have been informed that Walmart has no policy against the carrying of a firearm by their customers who are doing so within the legal rights of the law.” He then informed me he has been working for Walmart for over 13 years and in that time they have never allowed a customer in a store with a firearm. I asked him if they would be posting no firearm signs on the doors and he told me they were in
the process of it.

After I left I spoke with someone at the corporate office who informed me what I already knew, that Walmart does not restrict their customers from possessing firearms as long as they are doing so with in the law. I was given the number to the Market Manager and the Regional Manager and the woman I spoke with at corporate sent an email to them so they could get in contact with me on the issue.

I prefer CC, however last year I decide to change to OC. After reading of some issues people have had with the Omaha Police Department when they were OC I have decided to OC every day for now on. While I do not enjoy the extra attention over CC I feel it's important to support those who prefer OC, who live in the city of Omaha

I would appreciate anyone's input on how they feel I handled the situation, how they feel I should have, and or how they feel I should from this point. I plan on calling the DM on Monday and the RM if I do not get some type of resolution. It doesn't matter if you have positive or negative comments for my actions you won't hurt my feelings for please feel free to be completely open and blunt.

[shooter]

 I was in that walmart today, didn't notice the flag, but that store is only a few months old, they must be using the same flags they sell  to people . My mom lives 2 blocks from that store, I grew up in the neighborhood,

[patrickdm]

Sounds like you did just fine to me. Bummer the manager couldn't locate the keys to the flag. Even worse he doesn't know Walmart's gun policy after working there for 13 years.

It is a relatively new store but I'm pretty sure it has been open longer than a few months.

[shooter]

I don't think it was open for Christmas.

[Lmbass14]

The 50th + L Walmart location is just a grocery and pharmacy store.  I'm kinda thinking it was open before Christmas though.

Ben, good for you to take up the challenge, and I CC (don't like to OC) at Walmart in LaVisa/Papillion, with no issues. 

Don't want to be picky, but when when you rant, using paragraphs really do help with the ease of reading your post.

Good luck and keep us informed on what Mgt. says.

[Benjamin.henryii]

Thanks for the tip, I have edited my post to be more eye friendly.

[Gary]

OC.  It is guaranteed to me by my Founding Fathers of this nation.  So is my right to vote, but I do not wear my Right to Vote Tee shirt daily.

If I did wear my Vote tee shirt daily, would it help me vote, on election day?

OC is not something you do to be seen.  It is something you do to carry. 

the OP said: "I prefer CC, however last year I decide to change to OC. After reading of some issues people have had with the Omaha Police Department when they were OC I have decided to OC every day for now on. While I do not enjoy the extra attention over CC I feel it's important to support those who prefer OC, who live in the city of Omaha"

I own bars of silver.  I do not transport them in an open carry fashion, just to support other silver bar owners.

Do you have eyes in the back of your head?  Are you watching the people watching you?  What are the wheels in their brains doing, while they are watching you, and you are not paying any attention to them?

Every year, bad people grab OC firearms, in an attempt to gain control of the firearm.  Are you ready for the responsibility of such an action?

As a firearms instructor, I would encourage you to give additional thought to what you are doing as you OC in public.

What if nationally, 100 people like you, strap on a gun, OC,  in a show of 2nd amendment rights, and go shopping at Walmart?   What if Walmart says, enough is enough, if the gun people want that much freedom, no more guns.    That happened at a national coffee shop.

Your action that day, placed some pressure on Walmart to cement or change policy.  Are you willing to possibly change my CC gun rights at Walmart because you want to OC?

[JTH]

OC is not something you do to be seen.  It is something you do to carry. 

Different people do it for different reasons.  Handy thing about the 2nd amendment, we don't all have to agree on why.  We just have the right.

Every year, bad people grab OC firearms, in an attempt to gain control of the firearm.  Are you ready for the responsibility of such an action?

Any citation for this happening other than to policepeople?  (Note:  Something that happens only a couple of times a year happens much less often than getting struck by lightning, as a comparison.)

This isn't saying it might not happen, and personally I think that anyone who OCs should 1) use a retention holster, and 2) have some idea of what to do for weapons retention in the case of a grab of some sort.

However, that is separate from how often it happens, and whether or not it is actually a significant risk.   

stuff snipped that makes it somehow one OC person's fault for other peoples actions

Disagree strongly. 

Your action that day, placed some pressure on Walmart to cement or change policy.  Are you willing to possibly change my CC gun rights at Walmart because you want to OC?

That doesn't make sense, as Walmart's policy is clear, and has been so for years, including in the face of plenty of other people OCing in Walmart plenty of times over time.  The fact that this one manager doesn't know their own policies is a separate issue. 

I personally don't happen to OC, nor do I think it is a good idea from a self-defense standpoint in an urban area where you have no choice but to let people get close to you.  (Rural area is different.)  That, however, doesn't change the fact that people are welcome to OC and I support them in their choice to OC---and hopefully they do so in a way that makes the gun culture more accessible to the general public, and in a manner that reinforces to the public that gun owners are a polite, law-abiding set of people.

Seems to me that the OP did precisely that.  And that this particular Walmart manager should learn store policy.

[DaveB]

OC just doesn't put money in someone's pocket here. No big deal, it's a right, he was not making a scene, and this drift from the original thread was not relevant at all. 

Walmart policy comes from the home office, not individual stores. They have made that clear on several occasions.

It is terrible though that a manager does not care enough to find a way to fly a proper flag, it shows that he just doesn't care about the important issues. What also bothers me is that he has all these years and has no idea on the policy, he is the one that hundreds of employees have to follow, and how many other bad decisions has he made that concern other people?

When a customer comes to correct a situation at his own expense says a lot about that customer. The manager should have found the key and gotten the flag changed. Good for the OP on this one!

[UPCrawfish]

OK, what did I miss??  I have read in follow up posts comments about the flag being improperly displayed?   Was that included in the OP's first comments then edited out? 

I have seen what I thought, at first, were instances of improper display (US flag to right of the state flag and star field to right) but when you come in the other entrance door...   It is displayed properly.  The displayed flags were hung perpendicular to the front wall, behind the cashiers, not against the front wall.

[Mntnman]

Wal Mart was flying a tattered flag. Customer offered to replace it at his expense but the proper keys could not be found. Manager seemed irritated about having to deal with the issue and then mentioned the OP's OC weapon. He claimed it against corporate policy but the OP knows better because of previous interaction with corporate.

[LM4202]

Why don't you OC around 40th & Grand Ave or somewhere in that area?  Or like near the projects at 36th & T?  You might get the attention of the South Family people.

[Silver]

"Different people do it for different reasons.  Handy thing about the 2nd amendment, we don't all have to agree on why.  We just have the right."

Exactly. The rest of your post was well said also.

[Benjamin.henryii]

Please see http://nebraskafirearms.org/forum/index.php?topic=11669.new#new for the way the store manager handled the situation. Also LM 4202 There isn't much of Omaha west of 96th street I haven't OC'd in. This includes the time I took my little sister to the South Omaha Projects when she was 16 so she could see how blessed she has been her whole life. It also includes the 4 months of my life I was living off Florence BLVD just a few blocks south of Miller Park and would go for a run 4 or 5 times a week to the Mormon bridge and back. Just three days ago I was riding my horse in Bellevue and I was OC, I went through the bank drive though, I went to a friend’s house to let my house graze, and on the way back to the stables I must have been stopped by more than 25 kids and more than 10 parents asking me to let their child pet my horse, and I even put some little girls on her so they could take a picture with their child on the horse. There is a handgun in almost every photo taken holstered on my hip. I have had very little negative experiences while OC and I believe I try hard to set the standard for politeness, and friendliness while I am OC.