Dive Brief:
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Wednesday said that starting this fall it will no longer sell military-style weapons like the AR-15 rifle in its stores in the United States. The retailer is the largest seller of guns and ammunition in the States.
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The move is a dollar-and-cents one: The retailer says the weapons just aren’t selling, and that its decision was not influenced by gun politics.
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Wal-Mart also said that it will continue to sell weapons suitable for hunting like shotguns, and will be adding to its offerings.
Dive Insight:
Gun-control advocates might cheer this move, coming right after two broadcast journalists were fatally shot Wednesday morning in Virginia. Wal-Mart, however, apparently isn't responding to that news but rather is ending the sale of the AR-15 because of poor sales. Wal-Mart spokesperson Kory Lundberg told Quartz, who first reported the news, that "the decision was completely based on what customers are buying and what they want." Overall gun sales are down in the U.S., falling 15% last year.
In fact, the retailer has struggled to stock the kinds of weapons that will sell, but has been adamant about continuing gun sales even in the aftermath of highly public reports of gun deaths. CEO Douglas McMillon has said that guns sales in the retailer's sporting goods department are important to the company. In keeping with that focus, Wal-Mart stopped selling handguns in 1993 and doesn't sell high-capacity magazines.
