Kmart to Phase Out Sale of Handgun Ammunition
Friday, June 29, 2001
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DETROIT � Attention, Kmart shoppers! Handgun ammo will soon be
disappearing from your local store.
For years, Kmart shoppers throughout the U.S. have found well-stocked
shelves of ammunition designed for everything from pellet guns to hunting
rifles and handguns.
But some of those shelves will be empty by the end of September, as the
Troy, Mich.-based Kmart Corp. phases out the sale of handgun ammunition
over the next 90 days.
Officials for the discount chain, which includes more than 2,000 stores,
made the announcement Thursday following company executives' meetings the
day before with filmmaker Michael Moore and three survivors of the 1999
Columbine High School shooting, who asked the company to remove the
ammunition from their shelves.
The group held a news conference Thursday to announce the results of the
meetings and call attention to gun violence.
Moore said he was very happy and surprised with Kmart's decision.
"I'm totally, totally stunned by the response from Kmart today," he said.
Amy Stilwell, spokeswoman for the Brady Campaign and Brady Center to
Prevent Gun Violence, said her group was not involved in Moore's efforts.
"But we support any measure that promotes safety and responsible access
to firearms and related products," she said.
But not everyone shared the sentiments of Moore and Stilwell.
I think it was unfortunate and inappropriate for Mr. Moore to use scare
tactics to strong arm [Kmart]," Doug Painter, executive director of the
National Shooting Sports Foundation, told Fox News.
"I think all of us are concerned about school violence, but to blame a
retailer who sells ammunition for causing these tragedies is
intellectually dishonest. In my view, it�s no different than blaming a
car dealer for a car that was used in a drunk driving accident.
"Let�s be honest, Kmart was bullied into this, using the obvious emotion
of the issue and the threat of the media campaign against them."
Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, shared those
sentiments.
"I think it�s a shame that a big company like this would pander to the
anti-gun forces," he said. "I think the response from gun owners is
predictable.
"It�s a transparent effort to get rid of guns and ammo and were going to
answer that challenge."
While Kmart has been under pressure from gun control advocates to stop
selling firearms for some time, company spokeswoman Julie Fracker said
the sale of firearms and ammunition had been under review as part of the
merchandising strategy of the company's new executive team.
"Obviously we consider ourselves a socially conscious business, but this
was a business decision made in the best interests of the company," she
said Thursday.
In November 1999, talk show host and gun control activist Rosie O'Donnell
resigned as the company's celebrity spokeswoman. And in December 1999,
the company withdrew an application with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms for a license to sell rifles and shotguns for a new
store on eastern Long Island.
The stores have not carried handguns since the 1970s, but do sell hunting
rifles and other long guns.
Moore spokeswoman Meghan O'Hara said the filmmaker began looking at the
Columbine shooting as part of his current film project, which examines
the roles of guns and fear in American society.
Moore is best known for his 1989 documentary "Roger & Me," which assailed
General Motors Corp.'s actions in closing a plant in Moore's hometown,
Flint.
Fracker said the phasing out of ammunition began Thursday. The ending of
sales of ammunition at individual stores will vary depending when they
run out of the ammunition they currently have in stock.
Similar changes are not in the works at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the
nation's No. 1 retailer.
Jessica Moser, spokeswoman for the Bentonville, Ark.-based company, said
its marketing studies show that there is a customer demand for handgun
ammunition at Wal-Mart stores.
Moser said the company makes every effort to make sure the ammunition
does not get into the wrong hands and that all sales associates who sell
the ammunition are properly trained.
"The bottom line is: We follow customer demand, but we also follow the
law," she said.
Wal-Mart stores, except for those in Alaska, do not sell handguns. Like
Kmart, they also carry hunting rifles and related accessories, Moser
said.
The Associated Press and Fox News' Kelley O. Beaucar contributed to this
report.
Luke 1:17 "...to make ready a people prepared for the Lord
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