Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Walmart ammunition policy

All,

Has anyone here been asked to produce a photo ID to purchase centerfire rifle ammunition from Walmart? The Walmart by my home just refused to sell me two boxes of 30-06 shells because I refused to show them my drivers license. As a 51 year old hunter who has purhased ammuntion here for the last 3 years without any ID requirement it puzzled me. I intend to write their corporate headquarters and notify my local NRA chapter. The manager said it was a federal law, I dispute that claim.

JimmyP

No, I have not been asked for ID to buy ammo since I was 23 or so...

I think WalMart has their heads were the sun don't shine. I asked to buy some 22 rimfire here last week. The guy told me the "gun department" was "closed" after 10:00 PM because "it's aginst the law to sell ammo and guns after ten o'clock". They also had the Auto department closed, I knew, so I asked him if he could sell me a set of tires? He said no, the auto department is closed too. I asked him if it was aginst the law to sell tires after ten O'clock? He said no.

I told the guy I thought it was just Walmart's policy to close the gun and auto department after ten o'clock and he should stop mis-quoteing "laws". I also mentioned something about buying my sporting goods at Academy where they don't employ idiots from now on....

Last Friday I had to show ID for ammo but not beer at Walmart. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

The manager is full of bovine excretment, there is NO such law anywhere in this country I am aware of. Damn sure isn't a federal law. You do have to prove you are over 21 to buy handgun specefic ammo, not shotgun or rifle though, that is 18.

Screw Wally World! I don't shop there unless I ABSOLUTLEY HAVE TO. A friend of mine who used to own a gunshop where I did almost all of my business got out of it about three yrs. ago. He told me that WalMart took away 1/3 of his gross in the first year after they opened their new "Superstore" in the area. That's a tad over $100,000. I DO NOT LIKE WAL-MART!
Low wages, little benefits is their game and they don't care who they force out.

Qtip
Soli Deo Gloria!
To God Alone Be The Glory!

Right on Qtip! I am not going to be a hypocrite and say that I never shop at Wally World...but I very rarely set foot in there. Remember when Wally World was all about "American Made" products? Not anymore. That is what bothers me the most. Of course we could start a completely different forum on the evils of Wally World. I say screw 'em, don't buy anything else there unless you absolutly have to.

EG

My son, who just turned 17, has been buying his own shotgun ammo for the better part of his 16th year at Wally world. I almost think he has bought 22 mag. ammo as well but will have to ask him to be sure.

I've never had my ID checked to buy ammo there,but when I bought my last rifle from them they wouldn't sell me ammo on the same day as I bought the rifle. I guess they didn't want me shooting up the place? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

When I bought my 10-22 there a few weeks ago the store manager "escorted" me out the door with it. It took all my will (and biting my tounge) not to laugh out loud. I was carring my Beretta 96 40 S&W in a belt pouch and She was worried about me finding my way out with a boxed rifle I'd just bought. They also called in to check on the purchase even after I showed them my CCL and reminded them they didn't need to call on someone who has a CCL. WallyWorld has gotten stupid after Sam left us. They didn't learn a thing from K-Mart did they?

well, i don't know if this is relevant or not, but i recently checked out at the walmart sporting goods counter with a case of beer and 100 rounds of .45acp. i wasn't asked for any i.d. it may be a regional thing.
btw, i almost always get i.d.'d for cigarettes

i'm sure it's walmart policy, and the poor idiot at the counter trying to get his/her 40 hours is usually in no position to question it. as far as he's concerned, it IS the law.
i don't see any reason to get your panties in a bunch over it. just show your i.d. and get what you want. if you think it's going into some federal database so they can come get your guns and m.r.e. stash, then fine, go patronize your local 24 hr. gunshop. and then work on pulling your head out of your asz
-mdv

ps

i'm drunk right now...i'll come read this in the morning to see if it is inflammatory. if so, i apologize and issue a proactive apology.

pps

but it looks pretty good to me right now.

Never had them ask for I.D while buying ammo. They are required to walk you out of the store because of the volume of customers in the store. Don't know about the time limit for buying ammo, but heck, 10:00 pm is a little late in the day to realize you need ammo. Sorry ya'll don't care for Wally world but ya know what? A local gun store in my area had a monopoly going for awhile. He took advantage and gouged everyone because he could, when a Supercenter opened up, he got a little pay back.

Up here at a local store they started a new policy that not only does the clerk have to check your ID, they will call a manager over to look at your ID to double check. If that is not going over board I am not sure what is. My only problem is there prices are to damn good on ammo to go else where <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> So I get a good laugh and harass the clerk a little and am on my way. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

My son and I just came back from a Gander Mountain store. He bought some ammo and they checked his I.D. to make certain he was 18 years old.

Is this term defined anywhere? Federally?

Cuz if it is, apparently .22LR is exempt from this "policy", but .38,.357, 9mm, .44Mag/Spl. [and given the "Contender's" capabilities a whole pantload more "crossover" calibers are not.]

That could have been a problem. It was, IIRC, re-defined as "traditional" handgun calibers. I gotta find the article, it was on the ATF web site some 2-3 years ago.

Again IIRC, the cut off was at that time .50AE. Any cartrige with an over all length of some arbitrary demension made it "rifle" caliber. Then the .22 rimfire was also exempted as a "traditional" target rifle cartrige.

I once bought a 10/22 at five minutes 'til midnite at our local wally's. It is Wally's policy to escort out any one who buys a firearm there though. Don't understand it ... but that is how they do it.

I can no longer find that particular item, they may have changed or eliminated it. This is the current scoop on ammo.

(F6) Does a customer have to be a certain age to buy firearms or ammunition from a licensee?

Yes. Longguns and longgun ammunition may be sold only to persons 18 years of age or older.
Sales of handguns and ammunition for handguns are limited to persons 21 years of age and older.
Although some state and local ordinances have lower age requirements, dealers are bound by the
minimum age requirements established by the GCA. If state law or local ordinances establish a
higher minimum age, the dealer must observe the higher age requirement. [18 U. S. C. 922( b)( 1),
27 CFR 178.99( b)]


(F7) May a licensee sell interchangeable ammunition such as .22 cal. rimfire to a person less than
21 years old?

Yes, provided the buyer is 18 years of age or older, and the dealer is satisfied that it is for use in
a rifle. If the ammunition is intended for use in a handgun, the 21 year old minimum age
requirement is applicable. [18 U. S. C. 922( b)( 1), 27 CFR 178.99

Just so everybody is clear on this, I drove 1 mile away to the K-Mart in the same city, and purchased my practice 30-06 ammunition without them asking to see my I.D.

Walmart just lost a customer and I hope they loose a lot more this hunting season. Jimmyp

My last guncounter transaction at a Wal-mart was when they tried to make me fill out the AFT form for a muzzleloader! And told me they had to do a background check! The main problem is that they hire 6 $/hour people and expect them to make good decisions. The only thing I pick up in the sporting goods dept anymore is clay pigeons...

Okay guys, now that we've bashed the snot out of Wal-Mart, let me give you my perspective on things. I'm an Assistant Manager at Wal-Mart. Before everyone gets set to rip me a new [email]A@#hole[/email] for working for the Evil Empire let me clear a few things up. #1 As to why someone was asked to produce an I.D. to purchase rifle ammo when they were obviously over 18 years of age, I have no idea. Maybe a new local Wal-Mart rule? I don't know. All I can tell you for sure, is that's not policy in our area. Perhaps this store got in trouble for accidentally selling ammo to someone they shouldn't have, and the associates were ordered to card everyone. Just a thought-I have no way of knowing. #2 Why are you so wound up about a manager escorting you out of the building with a purchased gun? Jeez, don't you find that to be a safe practice? And courteous to our other customers?! Not every customer comes into Wal-Mart to purchase a gun, and in this day and age where lawsuits are a fact of life, the company chooses not to risk any bad press they can avoid. It is a standing policy to escort every gun purchase to the parking lot by a member of management. I don't know what you guys think is wrong with that. If it riles you that much, consider buying your guns through another source. I just don't see it as a major problem or inconvenience for the purchaser, or our other customers. #3 As for the sporting goods department closing at 10:00. What are the hours of your local sporting goods store? Just because the Wal-Mart store is open 24 hours doesn't mean every department will be! That's a standard procedure for the sporting goods department to close at that time. I think your being a little selfish to expect them to be available 24 hours a day to sell guns. There should be a sign posted in the department too with the hours. I would also ask you to keep in mind that from time to time people have to cover other departments. The automotive associate might be helping out in sporting goods to cover a break, or someone might be off sick, and no one else from the department was able to come in. It wouldn't hurt to show a little patience. Not everyone knows a lot about guns and ammo. As was stated, these people don't make a lot of money. They are following the rules as best they can, and generally do their utmost to give our customers good service. Mistakes will happen. We probably do overregulate, but we do it for a reason. I'm really sorry if anyone had a bad experience with Wal-Mart. From the tone of these replies, many of you have legitimate gripes. Go to the store's customer service counter and have them addressed with a member of management. Another possible venue would be to call 1-800-Wal-mart. That's our customer service hotline. I would be happy to try to field any questions or comments I can address regarding Wal-Mart's policies. Hopefully your next experiences with Wally-World will go a little better.