Walmart to stop selling semi-auto rifles (inc AR-15s)

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**angelofvengeance**

A small step in the right direction...

http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/26/news/companies/walmart-ar-15-guns/index.html

Walmart said Wednesday that it will stop selling military-style semiautomatic rifles, including AR-15s.
Walmart (WMT) spokesman Kory Lundberg said the move is in response to slumping demand.
Generally speaking, gun sales have been strong this summer. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted 1.6 million background checks in July for all gun sales, not just semiautomatic weapons. That's up from 1.4 million total checks in July of 2015.
Background checks aren't a direct indicator of gun sales, since they are not required for some sales at trade shows and between individuals. But they are a good barometer for the market.
AR-15s have been used in mass shootings including Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo., and gun control advocates have long been fighting to restrict the sale of these weapons.

Walmart made the announcement on the same day that two television journalists were murdered on live television by a man wielding a handgun, but the retailer did not mention the shootings.
Walmart CEO Douglas McMillon had indicated he might do this in a June 23 interview with CNNMoney.
"Our focus in terms of firearms should be hunters and people who shoot sporting clays, and things like that," said McMillon in June. "So the types of rifles we sell, the types of ammunition we sell, should be curated for those things."
When asked at the time if he would curtail sales of semiautomatic guns, McMillon said "yes."
"We want to serve people who hunt and fish and we want to have a great sporting goods department," he said.

**Kilkrazy**

They should rename the new assault rifle-less gun aisle "Arms Of Sport".

**BlapBlapBlap**

angelofvengeance wrote:
A small step in the right direction...

Well THAT'S a fething loaded introduction...

This thread'll be fun.

**Inquisitor Lord Bane**

My Wal-Mart only sold one in .22, for plinking and varmint hunting, and it was overpriced. I've seen them in 5.56, but its more rare. No huge loss of sales on their part, just political posturing.

**Ouze**

The rationale was that the market is saturated, rather than political pressure. I believe it; you can get an entry level AR for like $500 now, and there's only so long you can prime the market with "OBAMA'S GONNA TAKE OUR GUNS" panic buying. Walmart guy is also right that the AR15 really doesn't fit with the rest of the stuff they sell super well; .223 is not really a great hunting round for anything other than varmints and wild pigs.

I wonder if this will mean a sale on the Ruger 10/22 - I've wanted them for a while but can't quite bring myself to buy one.

**djones520**

text removed.

reds8n

**Nostromodamus**

Only reason to get an AR from Walmart anyway was when they have Colts on sale for Black Friday. Any other time and you can get them cheaper elsewhere.

The reasoning is strange though. Many people use semi-autos for hunting. The quote from the spokesperson covers ALL semi-auto guns. The Ruger 10/22 is perhaps the most popular semi-auto in America, they gonna stop carrying that?

The ammo comment is weird too. Only gonna stock "hunting ammo"? The hell does that mean?

Up to them, not like I shop at Walmart anyway. People of Walmart website is NOT exaggerrating the type of people you have to deal with in that store...

**cincydooley**

Not sure any of the Wal-Mart's by me ever carried them.

Not that I'd buy my guns from Wal-Mart anyway with two local ranges, a Mom & Pop gun shop, and Cabela's nearby.

I do appreciate the ignorant loaded comment from the British OP, however.

**Tannhauser42**

More than likely, Wal-Mart just isn't selling enough of them so they're focusing on what they sell the most of. That's my guess, anyway. On the radio this morning the news said something like less than a third of all Wal-Marts sell that gun anyway.

**kronk**

Inquisitor Lord Bane wrote:
My Wal-Mart only sold one in .22, for plinking and varmint hunting, and it was overpriced. I've seen them in 5.56, but its more rare. No huge loss of sales on their part, just political posturing.

This. WalMart bragging about not selling semi-auto rifles is like a wife of 30 years bragging about not ____ing your ____.

Duh.

**Chief Tugboat**

BlapBlapBlap wrote:
angelofvengeance wrote:
A small step in the right direction...

Well THAT'S a fething loaded introduction...

This thread'll be fun.

Well I do have to agree, I think it's a smart move to keep the "scary black assault rifle mass murdering 30 round clipazine monsters" away from the general public so they can sleep safely knowing that they won't be gunned down while shopping

.

Plus if someone really wants to get educated on safe responsible firearm usage, I'd rather have them go to a place where people know what they are talking about. Because my experience at Wal-Mart was borderline depressing, I had to walk the guy behind the counter through everything. I almost wanted to get behind there and take over.

Anyways I think overall it is a good move and like others have said, there are plenty of places to get better deals and information with more options.

~Chief

**Spetulhu**

Alex C wrote:
The ammo comment is weird too. Only gonna stock "hunting ammo"? The hell does that mean?

Hunting and sports, wasn't it? Means they'll probably just get rid of anything marketed specifically as "man-stopper" rounds.

**angelofvengeance**

cincydooley wrote:
Not sure any of the Wal-Mart's by me ever carried them.

Not that I'd buy my guns from Wal-Mart anyway with two local ranges, a Mom & Pop gun shop, and Cabela's nearby.

I do appreciate the ignorant loaded comment from the British OP, however.

Hardly ignorant. Your 2nd Amendment is a completely unnecessary part of your constitution (IMO). It's a relic of an age where you guys were fighting for independence from the British Empire.

**cincydooley**

Spetulhu wrote:
Alex C wrote:
The ammo comment is weird too. Only gonna stock "hunting ammo"? The hell does that mean?

Hunting and sports, wasn't it? Means they'll probably just get rid of anything marketed specifically as "man-stopper" rounds.

The only rounds I've seen marketed anywhere close to that are PD rounds for handguns.

Any rifle round in going to do a lot of man stopping on its own.

**Nostromodamus**

Chief Tugboat wrote:
BlapBlapBlap wrote:
angelofvengeance wrote:
A small step in the right direction...

Well THAT'S a fething loaded introduction...

This thread'll be fun.

Well I do have to agree, I think it's a smart move to keep the "scary black assault rifle mass murdering 30 round clipazine monsters" away from the general public so they can sleep safely knowing that they won't be gunned down while shopping .

On the contrary, I think it was a good idea for them to carry "scary" rifles (whatever that means) in a mainstream store to demonstrate to ignorant people that these guns don't just start murdering people of their own accord and that they are actually quite a common item.

**cincydooley**

angelofvengeance wrote:

Hardly ignorant. Your 2nd Amendment is a completely unnecessary part of your constitution (IMO). It's a relic of an age where you guys were fighting for independence from the British Empire.

Thank you for highlighting your lack of understanding with this quote. We appreciate the clarification, and can thusly ignore any more comments you have on American firearms laws and protections.

**Nostromodamus**

angelofvengeance wrote:
cincydooley wrote:
Not sure any of the Wal-Mart's by me ever carried them.

Not that I'd buy my guns from Wal-Mart anyway with two local ranges, a Mom & Pop gun shop, and Cabela's nearby.

I do appreciate the ignorant loaded comment from the British OP, however.

Hardly ignorant. Your 2nd Amendment is a completely unnecessary part of your constitution (IMO). It's a relic of an age where you guys were fighting for independence from the British Empire.

Not really, but thanks for clarifying your complete and utter lack of knowledge on the matter.

**namiel**

angelofvengeance wrote:
cincydooley wrote:
Not sure any of the Wal-Mart's by me ever carried them.

Not that I'd buy my guns from Wal-Mart anyway with two local ranges, a Mom & Pop gun shop, and Cabela's nearby.

I do appreciate the ignorant loaded comment from the British OP, however.

Hardly ignorant. Your 2nd Amendment is a completely unnecessary part of your constitution (IMO). It's a relic of an age where you guys were fighting for independence from the British Empire.

and thankfully you brits have no place in the argument. Your opinion is yours to share but for the sake of not starting gak, your opinion is invalid so keep it to yourself.

**BlapBlapBlap**

Chief Tugboat wrote:
BlapBlapBlap wrote:
angelofvengeance wrote:
A small step in the right direction...

Well THAT'S a fething loaded introduction...

This thread'll be fun.

Well I do have to agree, I think it's a smart move to keep the "scary black assault rifle mass murdering 30 round clipazine monsters" away from the general public so they can sleep safely knowing that they won't be gunned down while shopping .

Plus if someone really wants to get educated on safe responsible firearm usage, I'd rather have them go to a place where people know what they are talking about. Because my experience at Wal-Mart was borderline depressing, I had to walk the guy behind the counter through everything. I almost wanted to get behind there and take over.

Anyways I think overall it is a good move and like others have said, there are plenty of places to get better deals and information with more options.

~Chief

I don't really care. People in another country, who have particular cultures and motives I do not understand, can sort out their own stuff. I was just saying that, as already evident, this thread's going down the route all gun threads go down.

**Inquisitor Lord Bane**

BlapBlapBlap wrote:

I don't really care. People in another country, who have particular cultures and motives I do not understand, can sort out their own stuff. I was just saying that, as already evident, this thread's going down the route all gun threads go down.

And quicker than usual at that.

Heres a similar article from USA today

Walmart decides to quit selling AR-15, other modern sporting rifles

Walmart said that it is in the process of pulling modern sporting rifles such as the AR-15 from stores this week, instead focusing more on selling other sports and hunting firearms.

The decision is related purely to lack of customer demand, says Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg, not the spate of shootings that have occurred in the past year, including one Wednesday in which two TV journalists were killed during a live interview near Roanoke, Va. Lundberg says the decision was made earlier this year.

"It’s based on what customers are looking for and what they were buying when they come into Walmart," he says, 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 started making the transition on store shelves this week, with plans to stock more weapons such as shotguns instead. Walmart does not sell handguns except through special order through some stores in Alaska. Walmart still sells ammunition for handguns and modern sporting rifles though, Lundberg says.

Modern sporting rifles are semiautomatic weapons that are among the most popular firearms on the market, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Though Walmart says the decision is not political, it comes at a time when public shootings have fueled a national debate about gun control and the sale of firearms.

They say it isn't political, and its just a lack of sales. I don't buy the first part, otherwise they would have just phased them out without a peep, like any other product.

On the other hand, they have the cheapest price I've ever seen for new shotguns and Remington 700s, so I personally don't care about ARs

EDIT: Forgot link

**Nostromodamus**

BlapBlapBlap wrote:
I was just saying that, as already evident, this thread's going down the route all gun threads go down.

Yes, unfortunately, and it was destined to do so from the outset.

**Chief Tugboat**

Alex C wrote:
Chief Tugboat wrote:
BlapBlapBlap wrote:
angelofvengeance wrote:
A small step in the right direction...

Well THAT'S a fething loaded introduction...

This thread'll be fun.

Well I do have to agree, I think it's a smart move to keep the "scary black assault rifle mass murdering 30 round clipazine monsters" away from the general public so they can sleep safely knowing that they won't be gunned down while shopping .

On the contrary, I think it was a good idea for them to carry "scary" rifles (whatever that means) in a mainstream store to demonstrate to ignorant people that these guns don't just start murdering people of their own accord and that they are actually quite a common item.

I can see where you are coming from, but unfortunately being in the bay area of California, here we are a little too far gone in terms of the general public. In my experience, if you aren't raised in a gun friendly house that actually teaches you a skillset, acountability and basic gunhandling saftey, theres a very slim chance you'll ever understand or want to understand what it is to be a responsible gun owner.

And scary black rifle is often the way the news here portrays any black military looking firearms, preying on the general publics ignorance. You could hold up a M4 styled .22 and they would think that's a fully automatic military grade weapon of mass destruction.

Gotta love the media.

**Manchu**

Alex C wrote:
BlapBlapBlap wrote:
I was just saying that, as already evident, this thread's going down the route all gun threads go down.
Yes, unfortunately, and it was destined to do so from the outset.

As long as everyone follows the site rules, we can have a million threads where posters who actually care about and know about firearms dispute posts made by posters who apparently don't. And as already pointed out:

BlapBlapBlap wrote:
angelofvengeance wrote:
A small step in the right direction...
Well THAT'S a fething loaded introduction...

If this thread is going in a particular direction, it was from the start.

**Iron_Captain**

angelofvengeance wrote:
cincydooley wrote:
Not sure any of the Wal-Mart's by me ever carried them.

Not that I'd buy my guns from Wal-Mart anyway with two local ranges, a Mom & Pop gun shop, and Cabela's nearby.

I do appreciate the ignorant loaded comment from the British OP, however.

Hardly ignorant. Your 2nd Amendment is a completely unnecessary part of your constitution (IMO). It's a relic of an age where you guys were fighting for independence from the British Empire.

I would not say their 2nd Amendment is an unnecessary relic. With how much violence there is in American society compared to European societies, I think they are justified in their weapons (of course, this is a vicious cycle since the weapons are the reason for the higher than normal violence in the first place). I know I'd want to have a weapon if I ever were to go there. Judging from the responses of Americans in this and previous threads, it seems to be a pretty ingrained part of their culture.
I don't think you or I can really understand it.

**angelofvengeance**

Sorry but- here's the definiton for your 2nd Amendment:

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Class dismissed.

**Nostromodamus**

angelofvengeance wrote:
Sorry but- here's the definiton for your 2nd Amendment:

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Class dismissed.

Point being?

"Regulated" in the language of the time refers to being well-equipped and trained. The Militia (both organised and unorganised) is composed of the people. It is saying that in order for a country to be free, its populace must be well armed and proficient in the use of those arms, and therefore the government is not allowed to infringe on the Citizenry's ability to keep and bear arms.

**Steve steveson**

Personally I don't see why Walmart sell guns at all. That in itself worries me. Perhaps there is a major difference between US and UK supermarkets, but I wouldn't want to buy a gun from ASDA (Walmarts UK arm).

Manchu wrote:

As long as everyone follows the site rules, we can have a million threads where posters who actually care about and know about firearms dispute posts made by posters who apparently don't.

I think your confusing "care about" and "enjoy". Just because people are anti guns does not mean they don't care about them. This is one of the major pro gun issues. Assuming that people who want gun controls know nothing and want all guns banned. The U.S. has a problem in that it lets the two extreams control the debate, and both use an argument of "your with us or against us". But the in the UK we have let the hard line anti gun movement have too much say.

**LordofHats**

angelofvengeance wrote:
Sorry but- here's the definiton for your 2nd Amendment:

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Class dismissed.

The Supreme Court ruledin District of Columbia v Heller (2008) that;

1. The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. Pp. 2–53.

By and large, ever since the ratification of the Bill of Rights, being in a militia has never been considered a relevant matter concerning the general right to own firearms. We've just never interpreted it that way as a matter of precedent.

**Kilkrazy**

Responsible gun owners are not the problem, it is the irresponsible ones.

**cincydooley**

angelofvengeance wrote:
Sorry but- here's the definiton for your 2nd Amendment:

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Class dismissed.

Glad you're not a teacher of US History. Your class would fall quite short.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Kilkrazy wrote:
Responsible gun owners are not the problem, it is the irresponsible ones.

Of whom we don't prosecute enough.

All those parents that have kids shooting themselves with guns laying around? They need to be prosecuted and held accountable for their irresponsibility.

Criminals...well... who knows there.