Got advice from someone at walmart

[DMark]

Just be glad that the guy was trying to me helpful with some un-wanted advice.....

 

..... and not trying to sneak up and take your firearm from you! 

[NoBanStan]

I won't open carry in public simply because of the "he said, she said" aspect. How easy would it be for some sheep to panic about your gun, say something to you about it and when you tell them to mind their own business.... suddenly they feel "threatened". I'm sure some lawyer could spin it as you brandishing your weapon or acting aggressive. "Surely he understands that most people don't see guns and his behavior scared my client".

 

Nevermind the fact that someone could just take it off your person...

 

I know I'm armed, I don't feel the need to let everyone else know it.

 

That's no offense against you OC folks, it's your right to do so... You also have the right to wear a mankini, but you shouldn't be surprised if someone starts snapping photos :)

 

[felinesNfreedom]

I would have a hard time trying to find a location to attach my holster on that thing, Might have to conceal carry...... if ya know what I mean! Very Nice!

[Wyldk2]

All this from dressing up for church?  99.99% of the time i dress casual for church( yes they even are fine with wearing shorts). So I'm 99.99% of the time concealed. The only part of my handgun that was showing was the back half of the grip and the back of the slide.

 

In that store that day, 99.99% of the people there didn't notice or didn't care. But I still think that .01% should have minded his own business instead of being a busybody. (Fiancees word).

 

I actually thought it was partially concealed, that dosen't mean it is Openly carried. But that is why we're a HCP ( open or concealed) state right?

 

Only time i have openly carried in the past was out on the atv or the kayak.

[wileecoyote]

Open carry is defined as your weapon being plainly visible to others and not fully concealed. It doesn't matter if its only partially visible or only visible some of the time, whenever enough of it is visible that an ordinary person knows you have a gun then you are open carrying at that time. If you did not intend to open carry there really is no excuse for exposing the gun. You have to be willing to adjust your clothing, holster, gun, activities, etc. to prevent the gun from being exposed. If you did not intend to open carry then you should have done a better job at concealing it. There really is no excuse for an inadvertent disclosure as it is quite easy and inexpensive to adjust your clothing or carry in a different manner based on your activities. If I am unable to carry concealed for some reason, then I will go to off-body carry or leave the gun secured in my vehicle or another secure location nearby, rather than to open carry which I believe is foolish, unnecessary, and dangerous. But to each his own.

[Dennis1209]

I was in Walmart sometime back and my fly was open and exposed. It didn't take long for someone to stick their nose in my business and point it out.

 

Moral of the story: Keep your junk covered up to keep people out of your business unless you're trolling for something.

[Wyldk2]

well, might just go open carry once :ugh:  :taser: ( and meaning to) just to see how many people actually notice or actually care. Not trolling, just curious about peoples reactions. I may even record it on video or write a journal about it. One would think here in a more gun friendly state that peoples reactions would not be so much. but i guess that means there are more people to educate than we think.

 

When I was working in retail I was the one who first noticed if someone was open carrying. I guess being around firearms has helped. But i never outed anyone, never tell them they are openly carrying( when they are trying to conceal either). Even as a customer i never stick my nose in someone elses business. Not my problem, until it affects me, i stay the heck out of it.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Wyldk2

[K191145]

Walmart generally follows local laws.  If a customer complains about open carry though, they will ask the person to conceal the weapon if legally able to do so.

If I were a Walmart employee I would tell those who complain about open carry what the state laws are, tell them there's not a damn thing they can do about it so just get over it and stop wetting your bed. Probably wouldn't be an employee for long though. :)

[jh225]

Not BS at all. My wife has worked in management & customer service at Walmart for almost 16 years. (This will be her last year, though. She's graduating college this coming May & will moving on to something better :up: ) I've seen the safety videos myself. Like I stated earlier, most stores don't enforce it, but it's left up to the store manager to make the final decision. Next time you might want to try to learn a few facts before accusing me of lying!

 

Here's the thing. Not doubting your wife or the fellow that posted "what he found on the internet", but I would like to see Walmarts policy in writing. They can only ask an OC to leave, which is the right of every privately owned business. If a CC happens to be seen, and as long as state law is OK with that, Walmart can go fish.

[jtmaze]

Go to Walmart.com and it is on there. I think it says we follow the laws of the state of the store and reserve the right to ask you to reposition your weapon if it bothers someone. I looked it up not to long ago but I am on phone at work and can't post right now.

[wileecoyote]

well, might just go open carry once( and meaning to) just to see how many people actually notice or actually care. Not trolling, just curious about peoples reactions. I may even record it on video or write a journal about it.

<Original comments deleted as the OP has now clarified that he intended this be a sarcastic statement, which was not clear at the time he posted it.>

Edited August 13, 2014 by wileecoyote

[Wyldk2]

Might is a strong word. I should have inserted "sarcasm" to that sentence.

 

I'm over it, it is done. I think it actually bothered my fiancee more than it does me.

 

I don't go to Texas, The OC activists down there are idiots. And telling me to team up with the village idiot is just wrong. :stunned:

 

Apparently I needed emotion hyphens stating my feelings at that time. Because some people are just too serious. :surrender:

 

I gues moral of the story is to cover up if you don't want unwanted advice, if you can't then you'll have to deal with someone saying something or the possibility of offending someone.

 

Which is inevitable this day in age.

 

But thanks all for the plusses and minuses. We all know how to give our :2cents: .

[jh225]

Go to Walmart.com and it is on there. I think it says we follow the laws of the state of the store and reserve the right to ask you to reposition your weapon if it bothers someone. I looked it up not to long ago but I am on phone at work and can't post right now.

 

I went through all of the topics and policies on WM.com and saw absolutely nothing. If you can find it, please post it up.

[wileecoyote]

[quote name="jh225" post="1179024" timestamp="1407907503"]I went through all of the topics and policies on WM.com and saw absolutely nothing. If you can find it, please post it up.[/quote]I did a site-specific search for their whole Walmart.com domain, and corporate.Walmart.com as well which contains all of their published policies, yet no policies found for firearms, weapons, concealed, etc. So I'm sure they do have a firearms / concealed carry policy but they are smart enough not to publish it online, and instead only refer to it in a summary way as needed in response to customer inquiries. So that email linked above is as good as you are going to get, unless an employee publishes their internal policy documents and related training materials.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Walmart has every right to dictate whether you can carry open or not. It is their property and their property rights trump your right to open carry. Walmart can set any condition they want for you to be on their property. They can legally enforce a "All patrons must wear a pink tutu" policy and anyone who enters must follow their wear a pink tutu to enter their property. They can even mandate that all those carrying firearms MUST open carry.

 

Guy should have minded his own business but that is the cost of open carrying. Though I will say, generally speaking most people are very non-observant. I was in Oak Ridge Walmart the other day and carrying a medium sized fixed blade (8.5" blade). Quite visible on my hip since my shirt was tucked in. I was actually trying to figure out if the sheath was what I wanted. Anyways, one of ths stock guys sees me walking around, up and down his aisle a few times both ways. Then he ask if I have a knife. I hand him the fixed blade and he looked shocked and asked where it came from...... So most of the time alot of people won't even notice your firearm.

 

Unless the laws have changed recently, which is quite possible because I do not follow knife law, you were in violation of the law. Here is the TCA regarding it. I could be reading it wrong but it seems pretty clear cut to me.

 

39-17-1307.  Unlawful carrying or possession of a weapon.

  (a)  (1) A person commits an offense who carries with the intent to go armed a firearm, a knife with a blade length exceeding four inches (4''), or a club.

 

 

[Spots]

Walmart has every right to dictate whether you can carry open or not. It is their property and their property rights trump your right to open carry. Walmart can set any condition they want for you to be on their property. They can legally enforce a "All patrons must wear a pink tutu" policy and anyone who enters must follow their wear a pink tutu to enter their property. They can even mandate that all those carrying firearms MUST open carry.


Unless the laws have changed recently, which is quite possible because I do not follow knife law, you were in violation of the law. Here is the TCA regarding it. I could be reading it wrong but it seems pretty clear cut to me.

That law changed as of July 1st. There is no longer any restrictions on blade length or knife type. Thanks for watching out for me though, thatd be a crappy thing to get a ticket or arrested for lol.

[JAB]

I saw a guy in Walmart one day carrying in a manner very similar to what the OP described.  He was wearing a tucked in, button-down shirt, tie and dress slacks and had a nice-looking pistol in the SOB position in what looked to be a leather IWB holster.  There was a woman (I assumed it was his wife) and a child with him and they were looking at merchandise on a shelf in the anti-perspirant section.  I didn't say anything to him as I do tend to try and mind my own business but it did occur to me as I was standing near and slightly behind him (I was also looking at the anti-perspirant/deodorant) that it would be all too easy for someone standing where I was to grab his gun and possibly even use it on him and his family.  In fact, I think it would have been easier for me to draw his weapon than it would have been for him to do so.  I was honestly bothered by that (obviously, as I still remember it.)

 

So, for me, it wasn't an issue of open carry vs. concealed carry.  Instead, it had to do with the ability to maintain control of the weapon.  I carry to protect myself and any family/friends who might be with me and the thought that it would be very easy for a potential assailant - exactly the type of person we carry to protect against - to take that weapon and use it to harm the carrier or his family, etc. is bothersome.  Even more bothersome is the idea that an assailant could have easily taken that guy's gun and used it to harm me or other people in the store.  It just seems irresponsible, to me, to carry in such a way as to make one's firearm both difficult to keep an eye on/retain and easy for someone else to grab.  I don't mean that as a 'bash' against the OP or anyone else, simply as a general statement.  As others have said, I sometimes carry in a manner that I consider to be 'lightly concealed' -  as in an OWB holster at about the 3:00 or 3:30 position with an unbuttoned shirt over it.  I usually don't outright open carry but if someone wants to do so that is certainly their choice.  I would just hope that they would do so in a manner that at least places their gun in a position where they can see if someone is moving to take it and could more readily retain control of their weapon.

 

For the record, I was also carrying at the time and I doubt it would have been very easy for someone else to snatch my pistol (from my front pocket) and use it against me, assuming anyone else even realized it was there.

 

That law changed as of July 1st. There is no longer any restrictions on blade length or knife type. Thanks for watching out for me though, thatd be a crappy thing to get a ticket or arrested for lol.

 

Just to give a bit more specific info, it was SB1771 that was passed into law and that made these changes.  So, yep, any length blade is now legal for carry.  "Switchblades" and other, automatic knives are legal for carry (and the penalty for using such a knife in commission of 'a dangerous felony' increased.)  Balisongs are now legal for carry.  My take is that sword canes are now legal for carry.  Heck, if someone wanted to it might even technically be legal to carry a broadsword strapped across their back - although it would probably be a bad idea in most situations.  Ironically, you could still be arrested for carrying a big stick (club/cudgel) instead of that broadsword.

 

http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1771

Edited August 13, 2014 by JAB

[jtmaze]

I can't find it now. All I was able to find was the email link.

[Wyldk2]

I saw a guy in Walmart one day carrying in a manner very similar to what the OP described.  He was wearing a tucked in, button-down shirt, tie and dress slacks and had a nice-looking pistol in the SOB position in what looked to be a leather IWB holster.  There was a woman (I assumed it was his wife) and a child with him and they were looking at merchandise on a shelf in the anti-perspirant section.  I didn't say anything to him as I do tend to try and mind my own business but it did occur to me as I was standing near and slightly behind him (I was also looking at the anti-perspirant/deodorant) that it would be all too easy for someone standing where I was to grab his gun and possibly even use it on him and his family.  In fact, I think it would have been easier for me to draw his weapon than it would have been for him to do so.  I was honestly bothered by that (obviously, as I still remember it.)

 

So, for me, it wasn't an issue of open carry vs. concealed carry.  Instead, it had to do with the ability to maintain control of the weapon.  I carry to protect myself and any family/friends who might be with me and the thought that it would be very easy for a potential assailant - exactly the type of person we carry to protect against - to take that weapon and use it to harm the carrier or his family, etc. is bothersome.  Even more bothersome is the idea that an assailant could have easily taken that guy's gun and used it to harm me or other people in the store.  It just seems irresponsible, to me, to carry in such a way as to make one's firearm both difficult to keep an eye on/retain and easy for someone else to grab.  I don't mean that as a 'bash' against the OP or anyone else, simply as a general statement.  As others have said, I sometimes carry in a manner that I consider to be 'lightly concealed' -  as in an OWB holster at about the 3:00 or 3:30 position with an unbuttoned shirt over it.  I usually don't outright open carry but if someone wants to do so that is certainly their choice.  I would just hope that they would do so in a manner that at least places their gun in a position where they can see if someone is moving to take it and could more readily retain control of their weapon.

 

For the record, I was also carrying at the time and I doubt it would have been very easy for someone else to snatch my pistol (from my front pocket) and use it against me, assuming anyone else even realized it was there.

 

 

Just to give a bit more specific info, it was SB1771 that was passed into law and that made these changes.  So, yep, any length blade is now legal for carry.  "Switchblades" and other, automatic knives are legal for carry (and the penalty for using such a knife in commission of 'a dangerous felony' increased.)  Balisongs are now legal for carry.  My take is that sword canes are now legal for carry.  Heck, if someone wanted to it might even technically be legal to carry a broadsword strapped across their back - although it would probably be a bad idea in most situations.  Ironically, you could still be arrested for carrying a big stick (club/cudgel) instead of that broadsword.

 

http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1771

No offense taken. I can feel my pistol next to my undies( lower back area) just fine. In order to grab my pistol in it's holster(remember it's a versacarry), he/she would have to come at me at some sort of weird angle and that would be sensed fast.

 

When out by myself or just out non-church clothes, I don't have the problem with open carrying, all covered under a shirt.

 

Can't wait til I can get a better quality summer holster, I tried the versa carry and it's fine, but dosen't offer much comfort.

 

Hopefully when winter rolls around, i can use my better concealment holsters and it won't matter what i carry. I could carry both.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Wyldk2

[K191145]

I've carried with a pancake OWB holster and a long untucked shirt since I started carrying and never been confronted by anyone, can't say if anyone ever noticed my holster when reaching up to get something or bending over to get something but no ones ever said anything about it if they did. I carry the same way in the local Mapco when there's often city leo's sitting with county deputies or state troopers and have never been made by them unless it's one particular city leo who knows I carry anyway. The way I carry may not be considered completly concealed but it's mostly concealed and most everyone on the planet don't go around looking at peoples waistling unless it's a hot chick. I'm ready for anyone who may see it someday and have a "real problem" with it, I plan to inform them that 1/2 million people have carry permits in Tennessee so I suggest they get used to it or move to California or New England. I still consider the way I carry is concealed, even if at times the bottom of the holster shows, the average person isn't looking anyway. If i'm in some other state that's concealed only then I will adjust my carry but here inTennessee i'm not going to worry about it.