Buying Ammo at Walmart

[wishin]

When you are 62....one never get's "ID'd" anymore. The silver lining to all of the aches and pains I guess.

Thanks, that must mean I look younger than my years!

 

[KarenTOC]

I once had a Walmart clerk say "I'm supposed to ask if it's for a rifle or handgun" and then proceed to check me out without waiting for a response. I guess he was following the letter of the law

 

[Aran]

I've never been asked, but I haven't bought ammo at Walmart since I shopped at the one I was a regular at before moving.

 

[NavyLCDR]

And what is really funny is that if that particular Wal Mart also sells guns, and there is licensed, and they ask you if the ammo is to be used in a handgun or rifle, and you lie to them, you have committed a felony.

 

[Aran]

[citation needed]

 

[mustang_steve]

If I feel like a wisebutt that day, I'll tell them it's for a footgun. The question really doesn't bother me, it's the law behind the question that bothers me.

 

[M2 Carbine]

When you are 62....one never get's "ID'd" anymore. The silver lining to all of the aches and pains I guess.

Sometimes the WM clerk still asks me if the ammo is for a handgun.

I say, "Yes, and the next thing you are suposed to ask me is if I am 21. If you do it will make my whole day since I'm 71".

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

hey alway ask when at the checkout, is this for a handgun? I refuse to answer anymore. It's none of their business what it's for.

This is 100% untrue. It's very much their business what it is for.

It's all part of some survey for some agenda.

I suppose one would say it's the agenda of complying with federal law and protecting themselves from lawsuits.

As I've posted before, this is the the reason.

Here's why Wal-Mart asks...

In 1987 a 19-year-old guy by the name of Miles shot and killed a certain woman by the name of Phillips with a .357 handgun using ammo he bought at K-Mart. Later, he offed himself. The children of the victim sued K-mart for negligence saying that a 19-year-old shouldn't have been able to buy handgun ammo. However, the clerk had asked what it was for and Miles said it was for his hunting rifle. Because the guy said it was for a rifle, the court said K-Mart wasn't negligent.

In 1989, a 20-year-old named Russell shot a guy named Bell with .44 Mag ammo bought from a certain Smitty's Smitty's Super Valu (sic). Bell sued Smitty claiming that Smitty's negligently sold Russell handgun ammunition in violation of federal law. The court disagreed and said that interchangable ammo was not restricted to those 21 or older.

ATF stated in a publication that a licensee may sell interchangeable ammunition to a person less than 21 years old "provided the buyer is 18 years or older, and the dealer is satisfied that it is for use in a rifle."

Then, in late 1995, an 18-year-old by the name of Cavnor bought a box of .357 from Wal-Mart shot a kid named Stone. Stone's mother sued Wal-Mart for selling the kid ammo. Wal-Mart asked for a summary judgement based on the the previous two cases (and some other things). The court denied it, saying: The Phillips case and ATF's interpretation do not provide Defendant automatic cover because a material issue of fact exists as to whether Wal-Mart's clerk made a sufficient inquiry to determine Mr. Cavnor's age and the type of weapon he intended to use with his new bullets.

So now what does Wal-Mart do? They program their POS terminal to ask for the use and age each time ammo they have coded as interchangeable comes up. That way they have documented proof on each transaction that they made inquiry to determine age and type of weapon.

Can we put this one to bed now? It's not a nefarious plan, it is simply a corporation trying to protect itself from frivolous lawsuits by complying with federal statutes based on the lessons of case law.

Just answer the damn question and go about your day. If you are really that upset that Wal-mart asks the question, go elsewhere.

As far as giving them "clever" answers, well, I'm not sure I'd try to impress people with my wit on the internet using the example of dazzling a Wal-Mart clerk with your brilliance. Particularly when you're the tenth guy that week to say the same thing to the clerk.

 

[Zeke/PA]

I was at our local Wal-Mart a few months ago and bought two boxes of Federal .40 S&W.
It was ALL they had and I have not seen it since.
Because I reload, I can shoot the .38 stuff to my hearts content, the only problem being an occasional lapse in the small pistol primer supply.

 

[1KPerDay]

I usually say "It's for my machine gun"....just to see the look on their face.

Same here.

Helps if it's true.

 

[Justin]

Does anyone else have that weird feeling? You know, where you feel like you're seeing something now that you've seen many, many times before?