Guns: The Wally World Experience

I've written in the past about buying and selling guns online, but in point of fact, the nearest place to purchase a gun will likely be your neighborhood "Big Box" or sporting goods store. Though in recent years Wal-Mart has discontinued selling firearms in some regions (e.g. places where people don't hunt), they still carry rifles and shotguns in quite a few stores. Here's what it's like, in my experience, to buy guns from Wal-Mart.

The typical Wal-Mart shopping experience goes like this - you go to the sporting goods section and either pick a firearm from the gun case or special order one from the catalog (if you special order a gun, you must pay half of the cost on layaway and wait for the gun to come in). They pull out the ole 4473 and after you fill it out (sometimes they're very picky about how), they run the background check. If you are cleared, depending on state law, you are escorted out of the store by a manager and off you go.

Now, the first couple of times I bought a gun from Wally World, it went smoothly. The third time, the clerk noticed Wal-Mart has an obscure, asinine corporate policy of requiring a week-long waiting period for Palm Beach County residents (they literally called my cell phone and asked me to bring back the gun). I brought the gun back (didn't want anyone to lost their job over an honest mistake) and politely explained that state firearms law had changed, but they said it was Wal-Mart's decision. Since then, of course, I haven't bought any more guns from them. I've since heard they've changed the policy, but too little, too late.

If you absolutely must buy a home defense gun from Wal-Mart, they do have some choices available. They have lots of shotguns for sale, and many of the Mossberg models have factory extended tube magazines (alternately, you could buy a plain-jane 870 and attach a mag extension and new fore-end yourself, but I'm lazy). They also stock pistol-caliber and .30-30 lever-action carbines that would be handy for defense. I don't recommend a bolt-action rifle for home defense, mostly because they're much more expensive and slower to cycle than a pump shotgun, but it's certainly better than nothing.