Walmart announced on Wednesday that they will be stopping the selling of military semi-automatic rifles which would include the AR-15s.
Walmart spokesman, Kory Lundberg said on an interview and as published on nytimes that they would stop selling modern sporting rifles such as the AR-15 which in recent times been implicated in mass shootings including Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo. According to the report the changes in the said store would begin as soon as the restocking process for the fall would commence. Such move is considered as the response of the company to the increasing demands of customer to stop selling guns. In a statement published in nytimes, Lundberg was quoted saying that;
"It was done purely based on customer demand. It wasn't something customers were looking for and buying when they came into our stores... "We are instead focusing on hunting and sportsman firearms."
In response to the move of Walmart removing specific types of guns in their market was pleasantly welcome by most gun control advocates. Rev. William Lupfer of the New York Trinity Church said via reuters that;
"Trinity Church is very pleased to hear that WalMart will no longer sell the kinds of weapons that have caused such devastation and loss in communities across our country."
Almost in similar tone with the church sectors' response, the sporting rifle enthusiasts understand the move of Walmart from a business angle. But they still contend that the demands for the types of rifles that will not be sold by Walmart anymore in their store would still remain strong. In a statement via email published on reuters, Michael Bazinet, a spokesman for the trade association said that;
"Modern Sporting Rifles are extremely popular with an estimated 10 million of them in the hands of Americans since 1990. Walmart's decision was based on what its management sees as best for their business."
