Lowes Home Improvement Stores and their anti gun policies

[S&WM&P40]

Lowes Home Improvement Stores and their anti gun policies​

After calling Lowes corporate call center, to find out once and for all just what Lowes Firearm policy was, I found the dark truth of the matter. While claiming to be “neutral” on one hand, on the other they are anti second amendment. They state their official corporate policy is to follow local and federal laws when it come to carrying firearms both open and concealed. But yet allow local stores to disregard corporate policy and ask customers to leave the store for carrying a firearm. I find it hard to believe that they allow such discrimination to take place in their stores when they claim they have no problem with it.
Customers who are following their own corporate policy and as such following local and federal laws are treated like second class citizens. For the mere fact they should have the balls to exercise their constitutional rights in their stores that are staffed with anti gun and anti self preservation nut jobs! In the twenty first century discrimination is no longer about race, nationality, sexual orientation people are now discriminated against based upon one choosing to exercise their rights.
All accounts of people being asked to leave the store for legally exercising their second amendment right have one thing in common. When asking the manager to show them the policy stating the Lowes firearm policy, none of them can find it. When I asked for a copy of the policy myself from corporate I was told “we do not give out that information” I informed them I would be filing a suit to attain a copy of this mysterious policy I was told “go for it.”
I find it unreal that a customer would be faced with such a problem of being told “Yes” and then told “No leave now.” But that is just the case awaiting for any customer who called Lowes customer care line they will be told “Yes” you may carry in our stores. Only to be told “No” and told to leave the store and not to come back with the firearm. I would encourage all to boycott Lowes and spread the word to all about their twisted practices when it comes to your rights.

 

[Glock Fan]

Unfortunately, the FOIA only applies to government records. Link Removed

I personally never had problems shopping in a Lowe's Hardware store. I was asked to leave on a few occasions, but after a brief conversation with the highest level of store management (sometimes it was a senior asst. mgr if the store manager was unavailable), I educated them as to what the local and federal laws were, along with my understanding of their corporate policy. Upon conclusion of my conversation with management, they allowed me to continue my shopping and in one case presented me with a $10 gift card for my inconvenience.

OTOH, I have had problems when shopping in Home Depot stores. Whenever I encounter challenges when carrying in a store, I attempt to educate management. In most cases I'm successful, in a couple of cases, Home Depot management insisted that I still "leave or conceal". I complied and followed up with written communication to their corporate office. I got positive responses from corporate and had no problems when returning to the stores in question after corporate assured me that store personnel had been retrained.

A lot of times success (or failure) when dealing with these large corporate stores is contingent on the approach when speaking with the entities. I do my best to dress and conduct myself in a professional manner. Being courteous and polite seem to work in my favor as well. Everyone has their own personal style, which needs to be developed. Once you figure out what works for you, successful dealings with the businesses will increase.

I wouldn't recommend an all out boycott of a business based on a couple of experiences. There are many ways of obtaining the documentation you desire. Sometimes it takes a little bit of "unconventional thinking" aka "thinking outside of the box".



gf

 

[S&WM&P40]

Unfortunately, the FOIA only applies to government records. Link Removed

I personally never had problems shopping in a Lowe's Hardware store. I was asked to leave on a few occasions, but after a brief conversation with the highest level of store management (sometimes it was a senior asst. mgr if the store manager was unavailable), I educated them as to what the local and federal laws were, along with my understanding of their corporate policy. Upon conclusion of my conversation with management, they allowed me to continue my shopping and in one case presented me with a $10 gift card for my inconvenience.

OTOH, I have had problems when shopping in Home Depot stores. Whenever I encounter challenges when carrying in a store, I attempt to educate management. In most cases I'm successful, in a couple of cases, Home Depot management insisted that I still "leave or conceal". I complied and followed up with written communication to their corporate office. I got positive responses from corporate and had no problems when returning to the stores in question after corporate assured me that store personnel had been retrained.

A lot of times success (or failure) when dealing with these large corporate stores is contingent on the approach when speaking with the entities. I do my best to dress and conduct myself in a professional manner. Being courteous and polite seem to work in my favor as well. Everyone has their own personal style, which needs to be developed. Once you figure out what works for you, successful dealings with the businesses will increase.

I wouldn't recommend an all out boycott of a business based on a couple of experiences. There are many ways of obtaining the documentation you desire. Sometimes it takes a little bit of "unconventional thinking" aka "thinking outside of the box".



gf

The documents will come out one way or another AKA(courts and law suit) not worried about it. I do know they are a bunch of bone heads at lowes and I will boycott them. If they willing choose to not follow their own rules I'm not going to waste my time trying to educate them. I will take my money to a store that supports my rights. With out me having to educate them as to why I should be allowed to use my right in their store.

 

[cardinalfan]

So are they going to start posting their stores now? I have never had an issue carrying at Lowe's, but concealed is CONCEALED.

 

[S&WM&P40]

So are they going to start posting their stores now? I have never had an issue carrying at Lowe's, but concealed is CONCEALED.

No they said they follow state and federal laws. But they allow workers to disregard company policy and make people leave who are carrying a firearm. I researched this before calling them to get their side on it. One of the stories I read about was a guy shopping and his shirt came up exposing his firearm. He was then asked to leave on the spot disarm and then come back. While this may not be much of a issue around your states Lowes. Here most of the higher ups are from MASSHOLE USA or NY. Most managers around here are huge anti gun rights and look at anyone with a firearm as a mass shooter waiting to happen. A simple search of Lowes and guns will bring up pages of people posting their being asked to leave because of carrying (concealed and open).

 

[mappow]

Always in Lowe's, always CC. Always NO PROBLEMS. Of course their not as tight assed down here as those stores in the "Free Northern States" . No harm intended...........:laugh:

 

[S&WM&P40]

Always in Lowe's, always CC. Always NO PROBLEMS. Of course their not as tight assed down here as those stores in the "Free Northern States" . No harm intended...........:laugh:

LOL, No they sure are not. From all the research I have done on this topic it's not just up here where this is a problem. So watch your selfs when you carry open or concealed.

 

[mappow]

So watch your selfs when you carry open or concealed.

That's always a constant!

 

[MECHTESTER]

I have never had a problem carrying concealed in WV Lowe's (However, They have never seen my weapon.) though I have heard stories. I always try to patronize local hardware stores in my area. All the local merchants here view firearms like the tools that they sell. I still avoid spending money in the "Gun Free" stores even though sometimes it irritates my wife to go someplace else.

 

[Saltcreek]

FOI Act is not for private business. I never had a problem with any Lowe's in Central Ohio. They don't have the stores posted, and I never dared them or taunted them to. I don't waive my CONCEALED weapon around.
Two great things about America, one - you can choose to shop somewhere else. Two - as a private business, I can tell you to take a hike if you don't like how I run things. No one has RIGHTS in a private business, except the right to leave. You can vote with your feet, not everything in life is fair. :cray:

 

[PCADaveinPhila]

Lowes Anti-gun Policies

I used to work for a security company that had a contract for patrolling the parking lot for a couple of Lowes here in Philadelphia, it was an UNARMED contract. They said it was due to liability but the neighborhoods where we worked were both well known high crime areas. I wasn't even supposed to bring a weapon and store it in my own vehicle on their lot. I parked in a smaller lot that was right next to theirs just to avoid the problem. Also the loss prevention team actually told me they did NOT want my help to detain or take a suspect into custody. So basically they just wanted me to watch their cars and the customer's cars and if someone ran out of the store with merchandise to just watch them too. They also didn't want us to socialize at all with their employees. Their attitude was "Well we really don't want you here but Corporate is making us use you so we will have you do as little as we possibly can."

 

[S&WM&P40]

FOI Act is not for private business. I never had a problem with any Lowe's in Central Ohio. They don't have the stores posted, and I never dared them or taunted them to. I don't waive my CONCEALED weapon around.
Two great things about America, one - you can choose to shop somewhere else. Two - as a private business, I can tell you to take a hike if you don't like how I run things. No one has RIGHTS in a private business, except the right to leave. You can vote with your feet, not everything in life is fair. :cray:

This I know I was in a hurry it will be edited out. Not worried about it I have friends who will be getting the documents I seek. As for voting with me feet I think I'll vote with my wallet. As I have pointed out run your own search on the matter and you will find pages upon pages of them asking people to leave for carrying concealed and open. As all the members liked to point out in the heated OC topic. Restricting the right to carry is being a anti and as such Lowes falls into that category. Take it how ever you want to but people do need to know that they are a anti company and that is why they are in this sub forum. If you have never had a problem good,great, grand,wonderful but other people have.

 

[S&WM&P40]

I used to work for a security company that had a contract for patrolling the parking lot for a couple of Lowes here in Philadelphia, it was an UNARMED contract. They said it was due to liability but the neighborhoods where we worked were both well known high crime areas. I wasn't even supposed to bring a weapon and store it in my own vehicle on their lot. I parked in a smaller lot that was right next to theirs just to avoid the problem. Also the loss prevention team actually told me they did NOT want my help to detain or take a suspect into custody. So basically they just wanted me to watch their cars and the customer's cars and if someone ran out of the store with merchandise to just watch them too. They also didn't want us to socialize at all with their employees. Their attitude was "Well we really don't want you here but Corporate is making us use you so we will have you do as little as we possibly can."

Lowes policy is they do not stop shop lifters. They tell all of their employees to offer assistance to the shop lifter and help him remove the item from the store if needed. Stop and great, offer assistance, ask for receipt if they refuse let them go. They claim their goal is outstanding customer service and even the shop lifter is a customer(all be it a none paying one) but still a customer none the less.

 

[BruceGAtl]

You have no idea how glad (even more than usual) this makes me that
I live in Georgia. :biggrin:

I have been in and out of Lowes and HD many times, and talked for more than
a few employees in the course of shopping for a particular item...
and have never gotten more than... "wow.. nice holster..." from any of them.
I also looked back at the thread over at GeorgiaPacking and see
that many of my fellow Georgian's have had similar experiences... (except for
the holster part).

Doesn't seem to be an issue here.. leasantry:

 

[Axeanda45]

I have open and conceal carried at MANY Lowes stores in MANY different states (I worked for a company that had a contract to renew the parking lots striping) and never have had a problem.....well, except for the time I had to draw my gun on the store mgr.....


(open carried only in states that allowed it)

 

[Hatchet]

well, except for the time I had to draw my gun on the store mgr.....

thats a story that needs to be told...

 

[Nightmare45]

Any business can ask you to leave, I have no problem with that, this has not been a problem in Texas (concealed only) and suspect it will not be, I assume in an open carry state, if you are ask to leave they are assuming all responsibility for your safety while in store.

 

[BruceGAtl]

Any business can ask you to leave, I have no problem with that, this has not been a problem in Texas (concealed only) and suspect it will not be, I assume in an open carry state, if you are ask to leave they are assuming all responsibility for your safety while in store.

Don't hold your breath on that one.... :sarcastic: More like they assume that your wallet and gun are not connected in any way...

 

[Nightmare45]

My wallet and gun are very connected LOL.

 

[hammer826]

I open carry in the Lowes here in my town and also any Lowes I visit in Columbus and have never had any problems at all. I have had a few cashiers ask me what I do for a living because they always see my sidearm, and I tell them why I carry. Thats about it