Walmart to stop selling assault rifles

New York -- Walmart plans to stop selling AR-15 assault rifles and other modern sporting rifles, a move the company says is motivated not by politics but by falling consumer demand.



"It’s based on what customers are looking for and what they were buying when they come into Walmart," Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg told USA Today, adding that modern sporting rifles, or MSRs, were sold in less than a third of Walmart's stores. "It’s very similar to what we do with other products. If there’s not customer demand there, we’ll phase it out."



Walmart plans to replace the eliminated rifles with hunting and sportsman firearms, according to reports.



Walmart is the nation’s largest seller of guns and ammunition. It has come under pressure in recent years to stop selling certain firearms, including the AR-15, from various groups.