New Gun Violence Scorecard: Walmart Scores Higher Than Whole Foods on Gun Violence Prevention

November 22, 2024

Guns Down America's Business Must Act campaign reveals there's much more to be done

WASHINGTON — Today, Guns Down America, one of the nation’s leading gun violence prevention groups, is launching a new corporate accountability campaign aimed squarely at getting America’s favorite brands to do their part in reducing gun violence through a scorecard that shows which businesses are doing their part to reduce gun violence and which are failing to act.

This program is being launched one week before Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States that kicks off a season of holiday spending. ‘Business Must Act’ encourages conscious consumers to make informed purchases about where they shop: supporting businesses that prioritize safety and responsibility—and demanding action from retailers failing to keep their customers, employees, and communities safe.

“This holiday season, we’re helping Americans use their dollar to demand the business sector to do their part to end gun violence in this country,” said Guns Down America Executive Director Hudson Munoz. “Not only do corporations have the responsibility to make their places of business safe from guns, they also have the influence to change policy and culture to improve our safety everywhere. Businesses silent about the gun violence problem are complicit in its impact. Our analysis of Gun Violence Archive Data found that 28 out of these 38 businesses experienced an incident involving a gun in, or around, one of their locations in 2024. This is not just a corporate responsibility but a moral one, essential for the safety and security of our society.”

Businesses are ranked using a ‘Gun Safety Scorecard’ applying a scoring criteria that includes a mix of in-store policies, corporate action, and political and lobbying donations. The initial scorecard (which will be regularly updated) includes:

You can Review the Complete Gun Safety Score Card Here

This campaign builds off of a successful action in 2019, ‘Walmart Must Act,’ which pressured the largest employer in America and the largest retailer of guns in the world to do their part in reducing the easy access to guns that puts profits over people. Just a month later, Walmart responded by ending sales of handguns and handgun ammunition and discouraging open carry in stores even where legal. Reduction in gun access is proven to save lives — a previous study of counties impacted by Walmart policies on gun sales shows reduced suicide rates where gun sales are limited.