laws governing sales of ammo (Chattanooga: buying, live in, prices)

[1clkindofguy]

Has anyone heard of a Tennessee state that forbids retailers such as Wal-mart from the sale of ammo after a certain hour?
I went to wal-mart tonight, they have some shotgun shells setting in the isles on display shelves where anyone can walk up and get them at any time. They also have some under lock & key in a display case.
I had 2 boxes of 12ga shells in my buggy from the display shelf and I ask a manager working there to open the locked display case to allow me to get 2 boxes of 20ga. shells. He informed me that if the ammo was locked up it could not be sold at night. I told him it was the exact box of shells as the ones out on the shelves except for the gauge. He said it didn't matter if it was locked it couldn't be sold.
On my way out of the store I question 2 other managers about this, they both advised that as per Tn. state law the store was prohibited from selling any ammo after 10:00pm.
Has anyone incountered this or know of such law (and know the tca code) for such law ?

[Ashrael]

I'm afraid it's common practice for Walmart employees and managers to refuse to sell ammunition after 9pm in many areas. Their corporate office swears that it's not corporate or store policy, and there are no state or federal laws regarding hours of the day during which ammunition can be sold or should not be sold. And yet ...

You're not the only one with this complaint.

What you've run into is simply a case of "Retail Buggeroff". Essentially, someone who works in retail can't be bothered to honor your "silly" request for merchandise because it's too much trouble for them to do their job, so you can just bugger off. It happens in all sorts of establishments, across the board in the retail world. I specifically trained my employees NOT to do that sort of thing when I ran my book store and my specialty retail outlets. You could complain to their corporate office, but it's likely to do nothing or next to nothing to solve the problem because next time you'll get some other employee who also can't be bothered to do his or her job after 11pm, because they'd much rather have a smoke instead (or a nap, or whatever) of helping you.

If you really want to put a knot in someone's knickers, my suggestion is to call the corporate office and ask them for suggestions on where to shop for ammunition. Be bold as brass and twice as friendly. Yes, CHEERFULLY ask them, "Since your employee Bob told me that you won't sell this product after that time of night, can you suggest businesses that would be more interested in my money than you are? I'm not just looking for ammunition. I buy groceries and dog food and clothing all the time, too."

If you just want to buy ammo, my only suggestion is to shop around and find a place with decent pricing and hours you can live with.

In short, no, there is no such state or federal law.

[Ashrael]

Oh, in case anyone is wondering how I can be so sure, I've researched firearms laws extensively for several states, and recently. I live in OH, have relatives in KY, business to handle in MD, and want to move to TN. So I had to make sure I knew where I could take my Glock, how I could transport it, where I would have to lock it up, what type of ammo I could legally carry in which states, etc.

So I knew where to look to find this answer quickly.

[Dd714]

Ammo at Wallmart:

Positive - It's cheap!

Negative - It's painful, except for shot gun shells it all in the case. So you have to 1.) Find someone to man the ammo counter, 2.) 10 minutes for person to get to counter, 3.) "The Key" - they never have the key to the case, so another 10 minutes for them to find it, 4.) They come back with "The Key", it's always the wrong key, 5.) Then they have to call a manager to find "The Key", 6.) Take it up front to pay for it and cashier gets confused. Do I need ID or not? Is it for handgun? Verify age?

[mrs1885]

I guess we've always been lucky. Never had a problem. We try to order as much as we can online. You can find it cheaper and there's really no hassle. Sorry it's such an issue for you. Pretty sad IMO.

[Shalako]

I am not aware of any such law. Wal Mart doesn't atress ammo and firearms sales so there is seldom a clerk in the area. Likely they either don't want to go to the trouble or perhaps only certain clerks are trained to work that area and at times they don't h ave anyone there who is authorized to work the area.

[jchometeam]

I am pretty sure that is a company wide Wal Mart policy not to sell ammo after a certain hour, not a state law. If you do not like Wal Mart or any other company's hours or policies- buy it somewhere else. Its pretty simple. No business has to sell ammo at all; those who do can restrict whatever hours they want to.

[Ashrael]

Walmart stores are left on their own as to when they'll make items under lock and key available. Their corporate office doesn't have any policies regarding sales of such items.

If you're desperate for ammunition, though, there IS a place right there in your neck of the woods that does mail order, delivered right to your door, and has good pricing. I don't want to advertise openly for a business on here, but I'd be happy to give up the URL in a private message.

[An Einnseanair]

The suggestion to go elsewhere is bogus, unless you know of any other store in the state that is open at (or after) 9pm and that sells ammo. Mail-order works if you are buying for stockpiling or future use, but not if you're planning on hitting the range early tomorrow morning and need a few extra boxes.

In the Chattanooga area, Walmart has the best prices, but Acadamy Sports is close and has a much much better selection. Sportsman's Warehouse also has an extensive selection, but is usually a few dollars more expensive per box. Sportsman's Warehouse also has a fairly extensive hand-loading section if you want to make your own.

The trick with Walmart is to use their policies to your advantage. Huge lines at the front registers? Go grab someone with a key, buy a box of ammo, and pay for everything back in sporting goods to skip the lines (usually no scale, so you can't buy produce that requires a weight).