Walmart employee refuses to print shotgun wedding photo... because it features a weapon and would 'promote gang culture'

• Stephanie Wehner and Mitch Strobl submitted images days before wedding
• Includes pair holding a 12-gauge Ruger Red Label over-and-under shotgun
• Handed them in at photo lab at store in Dallas, Texas, but were refused
• Employee said she would 'not budge' as picture promoted 'gang culture'
• Store has no policy against printing photos which show firearms
• Customers can buy weapons in store, including rifles made by Ruger

By Wills Robinson For Dailymail.com

Published: 00:26 EST, 9 January 2015 | Updated: 00:26 EST, 9 January 2015

A Walmart employee refused to print a couple's wedding photo just days before their ceremony because they believed it would promote 'gang culture' as they were posing with a rifle.

Stephanie Wehner and her fiancé Mitch Strobl took 13 images including one of them posing with a 12-gauge Ruger Red Label over-and-under shotgun into a store in Dallas, Texas.

When the couple, who are due to get married this weekend, returned to pick the prints up, they were handed 12 prints with a slip which read: 'MINUS ONE 5 X 7. NO WEAPONS.'

Wedding photos: Stephanie Wehner and her fiancé Mitch Strobl took 13 images including this one of them posing with a 12-gauge Ruger Red Label over-and-under shotgun into a store in Dallas, Texas

Devastated: The pair were shocked when they returned to pick up their prints and found the clerk had refused to print one of the poses

The clerk then explained to them that she could not process the picture with the weapon as it was against 'store policy' and promoted 'gang culture'

Miss Wehner told WFAA-TV: 'She was very nice, but very matter-of-fact, like she was not going to budge or give me my photo.

'It depicts our love for each other, and I wanted to be able to display those at the reception.

'To automatically to be lumped into that category of a gang... that hits a little close to home for us, because that isn't our intent at all.'

The puzzled pair then spoke to the store's manager who told them the employee had been misinformed, printed their photo and gave them a gift card.

Anger: Miss Wehner condemned the fact that the couple had been branded into the category of a gang

Lifestyle: Mr Strobl (pictured with his fiance) who writes manuals for hunting safety and outdoor recreation said that the photo was safe as the 'action was open

Brian Nick, Director of National Media Relations, told the Houston Chronicle the refusal was quikcly reversed: 'The store manager has reached out and apologized to the couple and also paid for their photographs, including matting them and has given them a gift card for the store, so clearly this was an unintentional situation by the store.'

The 12-gauge Ruger Red Label costs around $1,400, according to the company's official website.

Walmart does not sell the exact model but sells a wide variety of rifles - including one made by Ruger.

Mr Strobl, who writes manuals for hunting safety and outdoor recreation said that the photo was safe as the 'action was open'.

Walmart's online photo center does have a terms of use page that says that they do not print photos that include: 'Expressions of abuse, offensive language and/or imagery, obscenity or pornography, including but not limited to: child abuse, child pornography, depictions of minors engaged in sexual conduct or explicitly sexual situations, or any other material that could give rise to any civil or criminal liability under applicable state or federal law, or violating any laws or regulations of any governing body.'

It also states that 'unlawful, harmful, threatening, harassing, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, invasive of another's privacy, hateful or otherwise unsuitable as determined by WALMART.COM' would lead to an online account being taken down.

Response: Walmart said there is no specific policy in relation to holding firearms in pictures. The couple were given an apology and a gift card following the decision at this store in Dallas, Texas