CVS, Walgreens, And Kroger Join Walmart’s Stance On Guns
When the anti-gun crowd decided to go after Walmart forcing them to take a harder stance on guns, I have to admit that they knew what they were doing. Walmart is the largest physical retailer in the country and anything they do will undoubtedly be seen as a sort of gospel message to other retailers.
And, that's exactly what happened as other stores took their place beside the big box giant. Recent additions to the anti-gun craze are Kroger, CVS, and Walgreens.
According to FoxBusiness, Walgreens had this to say on the matter:
We are joining other retailers in asking our customers to no longer openly carry firearms into our stores other than authorized law enforcement officials.
While the above sentiment mimics Walmart's stance, CVS veers off that course a bit, as follows:
We join a growing chorus of businesses in requesting that our customers, other than authorized law enforcement personnel, do not bring firearms into our stores.
In case you hadn't noticed by the above quote, Walgreens and Walmart request customers to not open carry their firearms into the stores, while CVS makes no distinction. If you're not an “authorized law enforcement” person, don't carry your gun in their store. Period.
CVS Health Updates Firearms in Stores Policy pic.twitter.com/0ODx6ewJNX
— CVS Health (@CVSHealth) September 5, 2019
This was a policy that has been in place for a while, as we see here, but it looks like CVS is just looking to put it out there again.
I'm glad I don't use CVS, but Walgreens is the only option for a pharmacy in my small town. This is a sad time for gun owners, and I'm sure that more retailers will follow suit, after Walmart. Which, ultimately, brings me to the point of this article.
The gun grabbers see us as stupid. While some of us may or may not be stupid, one thing is absolutely certain: We are nowhere near as organized as they are. And they clearly have a plan to go forward. This thing with Walmart and the other retailers confirms to me that this is very political.
And, while they grow smarter and stronger, we fight among ourselves over stupid crap like this: .45 or 9mm … Glock or 1911 … open or concealed … AK or AR … revolver or semi-auto … cheap guns or expensive guns … and so many other arguments.
Here's an idea, if it hits the fan while at the bank and I'm carrying my SIG and you've got your Colt, why don't we just admit that we're on the same side regardless of caliber, capacity, type of gun, type of action, etc?
Just like in the bank, we are fighting a common enemy here: The potential eradication of our Second Amendment.
Let's stop the bickering over stupid stuff and pull together, before we regret it.
Let me know your thoughts on this in the comments below.
I see this as nothing but an infringement on our 2nd Amendment rights. These Left wing individuals are “scared” of ANY type of firearm. The people are being programed from kindergarten to be afraid of anything the left disagrees with. They are putting their ideas into young children’s minds. As they grow older they are programmed more and more with Socialistic ideals and become young MEN and WOMEN who are convinced that Socialism is a Utopia. As for the carrying in these establishments. I will continue with my concealed weapon on my person at all times. IF and WHEN a situation arises. I will be prepared to protect.
We, the Pro Gun Community, need to stop arguing about the petty crap and band together to fight for our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. I have a number of friends who are LEO’s. Many of them already know that I carry concealed and have expressed their approval and appreciation. Those who do not know, also express their approval. I carry everywhere that it is legal for me to do so. I do this because I know, first hand, that the police could never get to me in time if I were to be attacked. Seconds, not minutes, count in these situations. Most attacks last less than 5 minutes and the average response time for the police is approximately 15-20 minutes. An attacker would be finished and long gone before the police could ever hope to respond and it is not their fault. I’ll keep my guns, thank you very much.
I 100% agree . All we do is argue over stupid shit. Exactly what you just said , thats all over social media. I’ve been removing myself from most of the gun groups past few days because of it
As for CVS only use a drive through.
Concealed should be, in my opinion, the safest way to carry.
If all were concealed carry permit everyone gets a surprise, make criminals think twice – are they or Aren’t their intended victim armed.
No one walks around telling you they have a concealed weapon. Unless they have a metal detector or physical search me I will protect myself if necessary. I’m sure the criminal will announce he has a weapon upon entry to the store as well before he takes your money and or your life…SMH
Joshua, all I have to say is amen, amen & amen!
Kroger’s tried to ban concealed carry in their stores here in Kentucky when our concealed carry permit went into effect in the 1990s. They were pandering to a small but vocal crowd of busy bodies whose panties are in a perpetual knot, as well as probably some pressure from their insurance company that didn’t like the idea of armed citizens in the store, probably because of the anti-gun “blood in the streets” propaganda nonsense.
Concealed carry advocates organized, printed business cards that said, “If my legally owned firearm is not welcome in your store, then I’ll shop elsewhere.” These were hand delivered to Kroger’s managers. Other cards also made a good point about the inevitable lawsuit that would result if a store strips an American of the constitutional right to bear arms and then fails to provide adequate protection for that person on their property if that person was mugged in the parking lot (as happens fairly often at Kroger’s and Walmart) or a woman with a restraining order is assaulted by her deranged ex-boyfriend because he knew that she was disarmed by Kroger’s anti-gun policy. It was particularly effective to have women explain to a Kroger’s manager how they didn’t feel safe as a result of their corporate policy. This is the opposite of what the policy intended. Those gun buster signs that went up with great fanfare so that a Million Moms could feel safe at Kroger’s quietly came down once Kroger’s management realized they were pandering to a noisy majority, many of whom are out of state, while driving away their customers.
This is considerable threat to all civil liberties, not just the right to bear arms and defend oneself. The USCCA has warned that if we don’t build up our defenses and band together to get the good word out, our rights and way of life will be swept away by the hurricane of the left. We must be strong and do whatever we can to convince people that we are not the enemy, we are their friends. Furthermore, we need to help future generations understand that the true purpose of weapons as recognized by the 2nd amendment is to defend our rights and security. We should also press that the AR-15 and other models coming under scrutiny are the pinnacle weapons of defense, not weapons of war, as only a singular device used in conquest can be considered a weapon of war.
I am a liberal somewhat pacifist gun owner. I have always had long guns but just recently began to open carry a 9mm in the great state of TN due to a community harassment campaign that has elevated my concern for my 3 children’s safety (no I do not want to discuss the merits of the harassment, it is true and it makes my entire family feel uncomfortable, even my 5 yr old notices the domestic terrorists that harass my wife when she is out with our newborn son, 5 yr old and 7 yr old). I certainly agree with the sentiment in the article and it is well written and I definitely think we should all have the freedom to bear arms anywhere we want without restriction, but I also think if we as freedom loving americans have to be honest and admit that if we truly believe in individual liberty and freedom then we cannot begrudge a person or company for exercising their right to decide who and what comes into their private property. You just simply do not have to go to that place. We should be shopping at locally owned, usa made centric places of business whenever possible anyway. Its worth the small raise in price to support our communities and will come back to you ten fold in the long run. And if enough people avoid unconstirurional places then the wallets of these stores will make the decision for them to change their rules.
If I may, can a “leftie extremist nutjob” offer an honest and hopefully helpful word of advice? When making comments to these articles try avoid name calling and putting down the very people whose minds and policies you wish to change. I am all about free speech, but what we are talking about boils down to a marketing campaign. We want to change people’s views of guns, gun lovers and the laws that govern both. So why let those who wish to control our actions feel high and mighty by being able to point out that we do not have the restraint nor education to engage in meaningful discussion without lowering ourselves to standards we would never teach our children. I am both a liberal who believes some people need help from progressive programs like food stamps and welfare as well as someone who has fiscally and morally conservative views and strongly believes in the 2nd amendment. And I can tell you first hand I was hesitant to even post a comment due to the perceived amount of name-calling I could be subjected to for expressing a different kind of view. That is not unique to our community, but we are quick to the draw when it comes to name calling those who disagree with us regarding guns and I am guilty of it just as much as anyone. So if you ever take advice from someone you may think a little differently than please let it be the idea that taking the high road and letting those who want to micromanage the rights of others destroy their own argument with hypocrisy and circular logic, bc i assure you that will happen more often than not if you engage in meaningful discussion with most people who oppose gun rights and also claim to believe in the constitution and the pure essence of American freedom. Even if they won’t admit it you can leave the convo with a smile knowing you planted a small seed of doubt in their holier than thou armor. Which is all it takes to soften their stance. I know I hate to be wrong about anything, so if you can give me a glimmer of a chance that I’ll be proven wrong one way or another chances are I will either change my stance or avoid being vocal about that specific idea. Im certainly not going to march in the street and shot out loud about it.
Back to the idea of treating this like a marketing campaign: I believe we could take a long term approach and adopt some of the strategies used by other groups and organizations who have faced pressure to change or who have fought negative ideas/ press/ propaganda. Take the NFL. If football were just invented today almost everyone could look at it and say “man, I don’t think grown men in tights running head first into one another is something I want my children doing and im certainly not paying them large amounts of my hard earned money to promote their brands on everything i own to support such a dangerous game that has a high potential for injury” (ok maybe they wouldn’t say all that but you get the point). But here we are where so many of us, myself included (go titans!), do just that. Hell we dress our sons and daughters up in those same tights and send them crashing head first into one another. Is it bc we are dumb gorillas? No. It is bc the NFL is smart enough to take the high road and play the long game. They support and promote pee wee football, youth leagues, high school. They make sure to lead by example and always put their best foot forward, sometimes to the detriment of their bottom line. By the time someone graduates high school it is a forgone conclusion that they accept football as a way of life. As American as Apple pie. So I suggest we do the same. Let’s start to approach guns at a young age from the safety angle (which is how it should be anyway). Let’s join mentor groups and put our ideas into the conversation for activities for young men and women. Let’s teach anyone who will listen about the educational benefits (hello engineering, physics, geometry, chemistry) and maturity development it takes to become a responsible gun owner. Lets focus on the benefits of getting kids and anyone else outdoors and appreciating nature. And let’s always lead by example of what a responsible gun owner acts like. If we can get kids shooting and leaning at a young age then that takes away the fear that comes along with being uneducated. My father is 78 (!!!), is a hippy and never owned a gun. He swore i couldn’t wear my pistol into his house. But as soon as I got it into his hand and had him come to the range a few times he is now a firm supporter of my 2nd amendment rights. Hell we are looking for a sidearm for him atm and we now have a new hobby to bond over. Yes, it may take a generation (or 2 even), but I think its worth to protect one of our most important rights as citizens of this great land. And who knows, we may even raise some very fine humans and create some positive new memories in the process. I will stop now, but I have been toying with these ideas for a while and have an entire playbook on paper of practical, community based ways we can inspire real change not just in the laws but in the entire way guns are viewed, treated and used throughout the entire country. That is how we win. Shift the conversation to positivity and benefits…
I hope this helps change even one mind along the way. If so then my time was well spent. If you made it this far thanks for not cutting me off and telling yourself im a nutjob. I love America, all humans and espescially you. Thanks.