Wal-Mart goes to Washington to discuss gun control

Wal-Mart Stores is sending an executive to Washington on Thursday (Jan. 10) to meet with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden about the company's position on the responsible sale of firearms.

"Walmart, like the rest of the country, has been engaged in a national dialog about the responsible sale and regulation of firearms and we have had ongoing conversations with the Administration, Congress, Mayor Bloomberg, sportsmen groups, suppliers and others to listen and share our thoughts and experiences,” said Dave Tovar, corporate spokesman for the retail giant.

After December's Newtown, Conn., school shooting, which President Barack Obama called the worst day of his presidency, he asked Biden to come up with a broad range of ideas to curb the nation's gun violence.

President Obama wants Biden to deliver policy proposals by the end of the month and Obama has vowed to move swiftly on the package, which is expected to include legislative proposals and executive action.

This action is meeting stiff opposition from gun-rights activists and some retailers. 

Wal-Mart says over the years it purposefully tried to strike the right balance between serving hunter and sportsmen and ensuring that firearms are sold responsibly.

“We became a charter member of Mayor Bloomberg’s coalition against illegal guns and adopted the 10-point code established by the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership that goes beyond what the law require,”: Tovar said. "We take this issue very seriously and are committed staying engaged in this discussion as the Administration and Congress work toward a consensus on the right path forward."

Sam Walton, Wal-Mart’s founder, was an avid sportsman and hunter throughout his life and routinely took his business associates and suppliers on hunting trips. Wal-Mart sells guns in roughly half of its almost 4,000 stores in the United States.