A Jan. 14 CNSNews.com blog post by Gregory Gwyn-Williams Jr. claimed that Walmart “will no longer place new ammunition orders pending “the upcoming decision on the Second Amendment.'” Gwyn-Williams cited a blog post at InvestmentWatch citing questionably verified claims and declared, “AMMO RATIONING IMMINENT!!!”
The CNS post got picked up at numerous right-wing places, including WorldNetDaily and the Right Scoop.
But it seems that there’s some dispute over the claim — so much so that CNS removed Gwyn-Williams’ without explanation or apology. The link to his blog post now redirects to the main CNS blog page, and his CNS archive makes no mention of the post.
The shocking reason why? WND did something completely out of character given its history of shoddy and false reporting: it contacted Walmart headquarters.
A follow-up WND article by Chelsea Schilling — who has her own lengthy history of shoddy reporting — quoted a Walmart spokesperson as saying that the claim is “inaccurate” and that the retailer is not cutting back on ammo orders.But Schilling also quoted alleged “WND readers” who claimed that their local Walmart stores were not ordering any more.
Much as we can’t believe we’re saying this, WND performed some actual journalism for once, though it appears the story is not settled. CNS, meanwhile, needs to explain to its readers why it pulled Gwyn-Williams’ blog post without telling its readers why.