On Monday this week, Wal-Mart announced that it was going to tighten its policies on selling firearms, including running background checks on any employees who will be handling firearms.
Jami Lamontagne, Demand Media Manager at Wal-Mart, provided our staff with a press release that details a 10-point voluntary code between Wal-Mart and the group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The code is called the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership.
In the press release, JP Suarez, senior vice president and chief compliance officer for Wal-Mart stated, “Wal-Mart currently uses a strong point of sale system that allows us to serve the many hunters and outdoorsmen who’ve made us their retailer of choice, while also ensuring the responsible sale of firearms. This code is a way for us to fine tune the things we’re already doing and further strengthen our standards. We hope other retailers will join us in adopting the code.”
New York City Mayor and co-chair of Mayors against Illegal Guns, Michael Bloomberg stated, “I’ve always believed in leading by example, and Wal-Mart has again demonstrated why it’s a great American company. The Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership makes good sense – it will have no impact on a well-intentioned and law-abiding gun buyer – but will help keep Americans safer.”
The 10 points of the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership are:
1. Videotaping the Point of Sale for All Firearms Transactions.Participating retailers will videotape the point-of-sale of all firearms transactions and maintain videos for 6 months to deter illegal purchases and monitor employees.
2. Computerized Crime Gun Trace Log and Alert System. Mayors Against Illegal Guns will develop a computerized system that participating retailers will implement over time to log crime gun traces relating to the retailer.
Once the program is in place, if a customer who has a prior trace at that retailer attempts to purchase a firearm, the sale will be electronically flagged. The retailer would have discretion to proceed with the sale or stop the sale.
3. Purchaser Declaration. For sales flagged by the trace alert system, participating retailers will ask purchasers to fill out a declaration indicating that they meet the legal requirement to purchase the firearm.
4. Deterring Fake IDs. Participating retailers will only accept valid federal- or state-issued picture IDs as primary identification. Retailers will utilize additional ID checking mechanisms.
5. Consistent Visible Signage Consistent Visible Signage. Participating retailers will post signage created by the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership to alert customers of their legal responsibilities at the point-of-sale.
6. Employee Background Checks. Participating retailers will conduct criminal background checks for all employees selling or handling firearms.
7. Employee Responsibility Training. Participating retailers will participate in an employee responsibility training program focused on deterring illegal purchasers. The Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership will create an online training system based on Wal-Mart’s training program.
8. Inventory Checking. Participating retailers will conduct daily and quarterly audits. Guidelines will be based on Wal-Mart’s existing audit procedures.
9. No Sales Without Background Check Results. Participating retailers would prohibit sales based on “default proceeds,” which are permitted by law when the background check has not returned a result within 3 days.
10. Securing Firearms. Participating retailers will maintain firearms kept in customer accessible areas in locked cases or locked to racks.
The press release continued by stating, “A new national poll conducted jointly by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and The Tarrance Group and released last week found that Americans overwhelmingly support measures like those included in the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership. For example, 91 percent of Americans favor requiring gun stores to do background checks on employees. According to the poll, 93 percent of gun owners said being video taped in a store while purchasing firearms would make no difference to them or would make them more likely to purchase a firearm from that retailer.”
