A U-Turn for the Largest Retailer [PHIL-OSOPHY]

Originally, Walmart, the nation's topmost brick-and-mortar retailer, announced it was removing firearms and ammunition from its stores. The rationale was that if there's "civil unrest" following Tuesday's general election, Walmart wants the rifles, handguns and ammunition gone because of looting, as was the case just recently in Philadelphia.

But the very next day, Walmart reversed course, reporting it is returning ammunition and firearms to its displays. The reasoning behind the about-face was that only certain cities are suspected of potential unrest, so only those areas will be isolated.

This isn't new for Walmart. They also took out firearms and ammo following the death of George Floyd, when protests and riots erupted in cities across America. During that time, Walmart was also fearful of troublemakers looting the displayed guns and ammunition, and so the chain removed them.

Coming into this election, there's a huge demand to purchase guns and ammo, and since COVID-19 hit, federal firearm background checks so far have reached 28.82 million, already surpassing last year's count, because more and more Americans want to protect their families from peril. I can't blame them.

I remember going through other bitterly-fought elections, but without the threat of being fired upon because of who you vote for. It's pitiful and pathetic to be under attack and assailed just because of who you support for president.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.