The 2 Walmart employees were right and they spoke truthfully, before Corporate told them what they “should” be saying in situations like this. I believe Walmart is killing the gun/ammo departments, just like the door greeter. Cost and Controversy are the two biggest excuses for change at Walmart.
I have no idea on the guns/ammo or Walmart corporate actions. However, for about two years the employees and management at our local WM were told (and they passed it on) that the entire fabric department was going away. It never happened.
They also had all the greeters depressed over the elimination of their jobs. The greeters are still there and I never see them at the registers or doing any stocking.
This particular store did get rid of the Vision Center, however, and the only other alternative is the local ophthalmologist, so all that business now goes to a store 45 miles away, where there is also loads of competition in a city of 50k.
As a customer, it is difficult to understand Walmart. I do believe they treat each store separately, so guns and ammo may disappear some places and will return in others, once manufacturers are able to fill back orders and the hoo-haw quiets down some.