Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, confirmed Wednesday that it has been working to phase out sales of assault rifles in its fleet of big-box stores.
Wal-Mart said it made the decision this spring to start taking modern sporting rifles, or "MSRs," off its shelves. The company says the move was not made in response to political clashes about gun violence but rather is a reflection waning customer interest in these products.
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"We're focusing on other hunting and sportsman firearms, such as shotguns and rifles, based on customer demand," said Kory Lundberg, a Wal-Mart spokesman.
The Bentonville, Ark.,-based chaincarried MSRs in about one-third of its 4,588 stores nationwide. The company said that this category of weapon, which includes items such as AR-15s, will be fully phased out of its stores in about a week as the chain resets its merchandise displays for the fall season.