When newswires reported on Friday, June 29, 2001 that Kmart CEO Chuck Conaway had decided to stop selling handgun ammunition in Kmart stores, there was a sense of "deja vu all over again." Memory is still fresh of the boycott Kmart suffered when spokesperson Rosie O'Donnell offended many Americans with her anti-gun rhetoric.

Rosie is gone, and shoppers went back to Kmart. But the lesson apparently was not learned. Here is Kmart's email response to complaints:

Thank you for contacting Kmart. Kmart Corporation recognizes the responsibility which comes with selling firearms of any kind and has extensive procedures and training in place for all store employees.

Kmart Corporation confirms that it is in the process of phasing out the sale of handgun ammunition in the continental U.S. The business plan calls for this process to be complete within the next 90 days.

The sale of firearms and ammunition through Kmart stores has been under review as part of the merchandising strategy of the company's new executive team for some time. The company will continue to carry a limited selection of sporting firearms and related products.

Within hours of the breaking news of Kmart's change in policy, a petition for Americans to register their protest by declaring a boycott of Kmart was up on the Internet. Using the services of PetitionOnline.com, a nonpartisan website dedicated to grassroots activism, Kent Van Cleave of Bedford, IN, wrote the "RedLight Special" petition (which resides at http://www.petitiononline.com/sellammo/petition.html), then told some friends about it via email.

"It's pretty amazing," Van Cleave says of the response. "Between the time I put the petition online, early Friday evening [June 29], and when I checked first thing Saturday morning, there were already 300 signatures. I thought, 'Cool. My friends have told some of their friends.' But by Saturday midnight the total had reached 1300. We made the Top 10 List for PetitionOnline.com within about a day."

It took just over a week for the signature total to break into five figures.

Comments left by signers of the petition range from disappointment at Kmart to outrage. One recurring theme is that Kmart has managed to offend its core customer base. "People are pointing out that they are the lifeblood of big chain stores like Kmart. The ivory tower and Hollywood anti-gun lobby isn't dashing to Kmart to snap up the latest BlueLight Special," Van Cleave notes.

A philosopher, the petition's author is no stranger to the ivory tower. "It's demoralizing to see magical thinking dominate this issue in academia," Van Cleave says. "The dream is for a world in which nobody possesses deadly force, so theoretically everyone can be safe. Unfortunately, however, the bare hands of the strong can exert deadly force on the weak. Not even the more than 20,000 gun laws in America have been strong enough magic to change that fact. But a pistol and a little bit of knowledge turns your wheelchair-bound Grandma from a helpless victim into a criminal's worst nightmare. That's not magic -- just a bit of technology and the good sense to use it wisely and responsibly.

"You know, game theory tells you the same thing as common sense does: a society of pacifists will be overrun when violent individuals are introduced, but a society of peaceful but armed individuals can eradicate the violence when it arises. The problem is that this model of society requires each adult to be responsible for defending self, family, and neighbors -- but today's trend is to demand a society in which no one needs to be responsible at all!"

People often talk about "gun rights," but the notion of responsibility should be emphasized more, says Van Cleave. "Everyone agrees that people should be protected from violence. But who is responsible for doing that? As long as people look to government for protection, they will be tragically ill-served. This whole issue with Kmart arose because they had sold the ammunition used in the killings at Columbine High School. But where was protective government for those victims? Government teachers and administrators didn't protect anyone. The police arrived -- and then dithered for hours as the body count rose. Some protection! Yet any one of those kids could have stopped the tragedy if our society placed the same degree of trust in them as was routinely accorded 12-year-olds in, say, 1920. Students' rifles lined the walls in America's old one-room schoolhouses -- and you know, nobody seemed to get hurt, or even worry about catching gun cooties."

Following the tragic 9-11 terrorist attacks, Kmart quickly acted to remove certain firearms-related products from their shelves -- right at a time when Americans were buying guns hand over fist. The move may have been temporary, but their corporate attitude about firearms apparently is there for the long haul.

That's why we'd like you to send Kmart a message. Guns are tools that can be used properly or improperly. At a time when America is under attack, to limit the availability of effective means of defense by clamping down on firearms/ammunition sales is terribly irresponsible.

The "RedLight Special" petition can be conveniently filled out online, either by following the link above or simply by visiting PetitionOnline.com and searching the list of active petitions for "Kmart." Its primary purpose is to encourage Kmart executives to change course and adopt the strong, pro-responsibility stance befitting to such a large institution in American society. Signature collection will end on Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 2001.

Plans for submitting the signatures to Kmart and the media are not yet developed. Because the petition exists online, both Kmart and interested media can readily monitor the developing support for this boycott just by checking it themselves. With luck, there will be no need for any kind of formal presentation ... if, that is, Kmart rescinds its anti-gun stance with a clear and very public apology.

Individual letters, emails, and phone complaints are a good idea.

• Kmart has a website at http://www.bluelight.com, and their "Customer Care" link will take you to an online form to send them email. Or you can just send your own email to customercare@bluelight.com and/or kmartccn@kmart.com.
• Call toll-free: 1-866-KMART 4 U (1-866-562-7848) with your polite but insistent complaint.
• Write to either (or both) of these addresses:

  Lori V. Gagnon
  Bluelight.com
  Senior Director of Customer Care
  P.O. Box 417
  Lewis Center, OH 43035

  Kmart Corporation
  Consumer Insights
  Customer Service
  3100 W. Big Beaver
  Troy, Michigan 48084

Signers of the petition have offered a number of informative tidbits to help increase the pressure on Kmart:

• Many are forwarding the link to their family and friends (this creates a wonderful "snowball" effect).
• Some are selling their Kmart stock.
• Some are extending the boycott to Kmart-owned companies, suppliers, and licensing partners. Here is a list provided by one signer (information not independently verified -- recommend checking before acting in this area):
  • Penske Auto Care (KMART owns 22%)
  • Meldisco (Joint venture of KMART and Footstar)
  • BlueLight.com (KMART owns most but does have partners listed below.)
  • Footstar (major owner of Meldisco that operates KMart's shoe department)
  • Martha Stewart
  • Capitol One (Provides KMart Mastercard)
  • Disney (has exclusive children's wear contract with KMart)
  • Jaclyn Smith
  • Kathy Ireland
  • SOFTBANK Venture Capital (owns major stake in BlueLight.com)
  • Omnimedia (owns minor stake in BlueLight.com)
  • Yahoo (owns minor stake in BlueLight.com)
  • Fleming Companies, Inc. (supplies almost all of K-Mart's food items).
• Some are encouraging Wal-Mart to resist similar anti-gun pressure, by calling Wal-Mart Customer Service Relation Department at 1-800-925-6278 or filling out an email response form at http://www.walmart.com in support of their continued sales firearms and ammunition. Obviously, the same could be done for other department stores.
• Some are calling for a boycott of ACE Hardware, who is now promoting that Kmart retread spokesperson, Rosie O'Donnell.

• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, explaining the boycott and giving the URL for the petition and/or this website.
• Call your local talk radio station about this issue, mentioning where to sign the petition.
• Don't be shy about asking your local newspaper, radio, and TV news people to cover the story. Hey, there are always slow news days! Feel free to have them email madisonpaine@bigfoot.com to set up a telephone interview with the petition author.
• Don't forget to share the idea with organizations to which you belong -- especially those that promote responsibility, such as churches and civic, fraternal, philanthropic, and professional organizations.
• Not everybody is on the net. Consider asking your local library to let you post a notice about this project next to their public computers so patrons can participate.
• Print a copy of the petition from your browser, then carry it with you and collect paper signatures wherever you go. As pages fill up, send them in to Kmart ... and let us know at madisonpaine@bigfoot.com how many signatures you sent (a list of names, cities, and comments similar to what is registered in our online petition would be nice, but if you don't want to do that extra work, we'll understand!).

THANKS for visiting "The Redlight Special" website, and please come back frequently in case we have updates. Your help in this effort is greatly appreciated!

By the way.... If you're upset with the federalization of America, with the new Office of Homeland Security, the federalization of airport security, etc., etc. ... well, pay a visit to this fun site: Welcome to Homeland Security. And share it with your friends!