I've been gone so long that my login and everything else seems to have gotten flushed but I'm back with a new question. I was travelling to Hobbs, NM just across the state line (yes, I know it's not Tejas) and their Walmart had the NM equivalent of a 30.06 sign. I called from outside to see if they were aware of the implications of the sign and if it was intentional. The customer service person informed me that it was there to stay. So, does anyone know of a corporate policy from Bentonville on CHL, is it left up to the individual store managers, or ???
As you may have guessed from the handle, I grew up in that other southwest conference state and at one point knew several of the upper management at wally world. I must say that things have gone downhill since then
I've been gone so long that my login and everything else seems to have gotten flushed but I'm back with a new question. I was travelling to Hobbs, NM just across the state line (yes, I know it's not Tejas) and their Walmart had the NM equivalent of a 30.06 sign. I called from outside to see if they were aware of the implications of the sign and if it was intentional. The customer service person informed me that it was there to stay. So, does anyone know of a corporate policy from Bentonville on CHL, is it left up to the individual store managers, or ???
As you may have guessed from the handle, I grew up in that other southwest conference state and at one point knew several of the upper management at wally world. I must say that things have gone downhill since then
First of all welcome to the forum.
Second, our state is called Texas.
Third, Walmart corporate policy is corporate, therefore it applies to all facilities owned by the corporation regardless of the state they are in.
We stayed in Chama, NM and the single grocery store there had that sign.
Yup, that's the sign except if it had the exception language, I didn't see it. After having a CHL for 15+ years and faithfully doing my first concealed carry to an Austin Walmart, It really shocked me when I saw the sign in Hobbs. Thanks all
If you saw a sign without the exception it is old and not valid. The newer sign with the exception was signed into law in 2010. By Gov. Richards of all people.
I thought that sign was only for establishments licensed to dispense alcoholic (other than beer and wine) beverages. NM doesn't allow CC in places that serve hard liquor for consumption, but it is ok to carry in a restaurant serving only beer and wine if they get < 60% of their revenue from beer and wine sales. From Handgunlawus.com:
"30-7-3. Unlawful Carrying Of a Firearm in Licensed Liquor Establishments. (Restaurant Carry Legal)
A. Unlawful carrying of a firearm in an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages consists of carrying a loaded or unloaded firearm on any premises licensed by the regulation and licensing department for the dispensing of alcoholic beverages except:
(1) by a law enforcement officer in the lawful discharge of the officer's duties;
(2) by a law enforcement officer who is certified pursuant to the Law Enforcement Training Act
acting in accordance with the policies of the officer's law enforcement agency;
(3) by the owner, lessee, tenant or operator of the licensed premises or the owner's, lessee's, tenant's
or operator's agents, including privately employed security personnel during the performance of
their duties;
(4) by a person carrying a concealed handgun who is in possession of a valid concealed handgun
license for that gun pursuant to the Concealed Handgun Carry Act on the premises of:
(a) a licensed establishment that does not sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the
premises; or
(b) a restaurant licensed to sell only beer and wine that derives no less than sixty percent of its
annual gross receipts from the sale of food for consumption on the premises, unless the restaurant has a sign posted, in a conspicuous location at each public entrance, prohibiting the carrying of firearms, or the person is verbally instructed by the owner or manager that the carrying of a firearm is not permitted in the restaurant;
(5) by a person in that area of the licensed premises usually and primarily rented on a daily or short- term basis for sleeping or residential occupancy, including hotel or motel rooms;
(6) by a person on that area of a licensed premises primarily used for vehicular traffic or parking; or (7) for the purpose of temporary display, provided that the firearm is:
(a) made completely inoperative before it is carried onto the licensed premises and remains inoperative while it is on the licensed premises; and
(b) under the control of the licensee or an agent of the licensee while the firearm is on the licensed premises.
B. Whoever commits unlawful carrying of a firearm in an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages is guilty of a fourth degree felony. History: 1953 Comp., § 40A-7-2.1, enacted by Laws 1975, ch. 149, § 1; 1977, ch. 160, § 1; 1999, ch. 156, § 1; 2007, ch. 158, § 1; 2010, ch. 106, § 1.
New Mexico Alcohol & Gaming Division No Gun Signage with Exception."
On the website the "No Gun Signage with Exception" link takes you to the sign the op asked about. I travel to NM regularly and haven't seen that sign at Wally World. I have seen it in restaurants serving alcohol though.
Walmart's corporate policy is for its stores to follow whatever state law allows. In states that have concealed or open or no carry, the Walmart stores allow open or concealed or no carry. The gun community generally rewards them for this by kicking them in the teeth when they make business decisions about whether and how they sell ammo, guns, check licenses, or do other things that as a commercial, non-governmental actor in the market place they have a right to do.
Note that since the article was published, the TABC has made it clear that retail sellers of alcohol do not need to check carry licenses of open carriers to comply with the terms of the seller's alcohol license.
WTR wrote:If you saw a sign without the exception it is old and not valid. The newer sign with the exception was signed into law in 2010. By Gov. Richards of all people.
The sign that I saw did not have the exception on it.
I assumed that it was enforceable against licensed carry because the store sold hard liquor. In the New Mexico statute 30-7-6, exemption #4 talks about a place which does not sell alcohol for consumption. In the grocery store where I saw the sign, they had hard liquor in bottles and they sold pizza, etc at a little counter area. I assumed that you might be able to have a beer with your pizza. I thought that I might be drawing too fine of a line on the rules considering that if I was in error, it was a felony.
I'm a little more inclined to push the invalid sign limits in Texas than I am in another State. When in doubt, I'm going to error on the side of not taking a ride. We travel in an RV so I try to carefully read up on the handgunlaw.us descriptions before we go. Some of it isn't nearly as clear as the TPC.
The OP stated that he was in New Mexico, so the TABC Blue sign (or any other Texas sign) would not be the one he saw. Perhaps NM doesn't have that exception in their laws.
txpilot wrote:The OP stated that he was in New Mexico, so the TABC Blue sign (or any other Texas sign) would not be the one he saw. Perhaps NM doesn't have that exception in their laws.
Not the TABC blue sign, but it was said that it's perhaps NM's equivalent.
tomtexan wrote:
MeMelYup wrote:If it was the sign indicated above you need to read the exception at the top.
I would guess that sign is the equivalent to the TABC blue sign.
If you look at the sign that was posted here, you'll see an exception at the top of the sign that sounds very similar to our TABC blue sign, but it's worded much more confusingly.
Bottom line is that weapons are not allowed in retail establishments that sell alcoholic beverages for off-premise consumption UNLESS you are licensed pursuant to the Concealed Handgun Carry Act (which I would presume all licenses from other states that NM recognizes).
Keep calm and carry.
Licensing(n.) - When government takes away your right to do something and sells it back to you.
Walmart's corporate policy is to follow the laws of the state in which the store is located in, I have called them to ask about their policy regarding licensed carry of weapons.
