Walmart will no longer sell AR-15s and other assault rifles

Man holding a Colt AR-15 assault rifle — (Image credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

Customers will no longer be able to pick up AR-15s or other assault rifles while they shop for detergent or Diet Coke at Walmart, a company spokesman told Quartz on Wednesday. Despite the decision coming in the thick of a renewed national gun debate following a summer of high profile shootings, including one today, the retailer says the decision is due to diminished demand rather than politics. The guns, known as "modern sporting rifles," will be replaced by shotguns or other hunting weapons.

"This happens to get more attention because of what the product is," Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg said. "The decision was completely based on what customers are buying and what they want."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.