The world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart has decided to pull military-style assault rifles, including the AR-15s, from its stores in US. America’s top guns peddler will stop selling the modern sporting rifles, which includes the semi-automatic AR-15, sold in fewer than a third of its roughly 4,500 US stores.
The announcement came on the same day two TV journalists were shot and killed in Virginia on live television by a man wielding a handgun which is available over the counter at Wal-Mart stores. The company insists the decision was taken due to lower consumer demand for those weapons rather than for political reasons.
“Even though this happens to get more attention because of what the product is, the decision was completely based on what customers are buying and what they want… This is done solely on what customer demand was. The assault-style sporting rifles were not something customers were looking for and buying when they came into our stores. We are instead focusing on hunting and sportsman firearms,” said company spokesman Kory Lundberg.
Every step that takes assault weapons off the streets is a step in the right direction. http://t.co/bt7IdoouRU
— Vice President Biden (@VP) August 27, 2015
Thank you @Walmart for stopping sales of assault rifles. These weapons shouldn’t be aisles over from toys or popcorn. http://t.co/ZrhNVR2SmS — Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) August 26, 2015
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, modern sporting rifles are among the most popular firearms being sold in America. AR-15s have been used in mass shootings and gun control advocates have long been fighting to restrict the sale of these weapons. Lundberg said Wal-Mart will no longer sell any weapons that accept high-capacity ammunition magazines, the kind that can hold multiple rounds of ammunition.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of demand for those products so we replaced them with products we have seen customers coming into purchase it,” Wal-Mart spokesman Kory Lundberg told Fortune.
In April, Wal-Mart prevailed in a court battle over the matter against Trinity Church in New York City, a shareholder in the company and critic of its gun sales pushing for tighter oversight of sales of guns with high-capacity magazines. The church is pleased with the latest announcement though.
“Trinity Church is very pleased to hear that Wal-Mart will no longer sell the kinds of weapons that have caused such devastation and loss in communities across our country. We continue to believe that corporate boards have the responsibility to oversee the creation of policies that will guide decision making on marketing and other issues that could have momentous impact on the safety and well-being of society and to shareholder value,” Trinity Church’s Rector Rev. Dr. William Lupfer said in a statement. Currently, Trinity Church is suing Wal-Mart, although the church may drop the suit, he added.
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dam son wered u find this cause its not @ the californias
AR-15 and similar rifles are NOT “assault rifles”. functionally, they do the exact same thing as a hunting rifle and accept the same kind of cartridge. what you are attempting to refer to are AUTOMATIC weapons – which have been, and remain, illegal.
Furthermore, you attempt to link these to mass shootings. This is patently erroneous. The most commonly used guns in shootings are pistols; the second most commonly used gun in shootings is a shotgun.
Anonymous, post fact, not propaganda. And do not celebrate and goad the loss of rights. That is despicable.
Fuck walmart! even harder now than ever, fucking fascists!
all those shootings are set up by the government, so they can generate an excuse to violate our right to bear arms
No, the handgun used in the alleged shooting of the reporters in Virginia IS NOT sold in Walmart! Walmart does not sell handguns. Lying sacks!
No, the gun used in the alleged shooting of the Virginia reporter is not sold at Walmart. They do not sell handguns. Lying sacks.