Walmart Banned Customers from Openly Carrying Handguns for Self-Defense in 2019

A Walmart employee allegedly killed six people inside a Chesapeake, Virginia, Walmart Tuesday night, just over three years after the massive department store chain barred customers from openly carrying handguns for self-defense.

On September 3, 2019, Breitbart News reported that Walmart issued a ban forbidding customers from openly carrying handguns, even where legal.

CNBC noted that Walmart was putting up signage at its stores, making clear that the open carry of handguns was not allowed.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon announced the open carry ban: “We believe the opportunity for someone to misinterpret a situation, even in open carry states, could lead to tragic results. We hope that everyone will understand the circumstances that led to this new policy and will respect the concerns of their fellow shoppers and our associates.”

The open carry ban came less than a month after McMillon pushed Congress to ban AR-15s, AK-47s, and other commonly owned firearms the left categorizes as “assault weapons.”

Openly carrying a handgun is a popular way of keeping a pistol or revolver close at hand for self-defense.

On May 20, 2021, South Carolina became the 46th state to legalize openly carrying handguns. Prior to that, in 2015, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed open carry legislation making Texas the 45th state to legalize open carry.

Around 10 p.m. on November 22, 2022, a Walmart employee with a pistol allegedly shot and killed six people inside a Chesapeake Walmart, according to FOX News.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a PhD in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.