Walmart is going to stop selling assault rifles

The company attributed the decision to 'lower demand'

The company said lower demand for military-style guns, rather than concerns over gun control, was the reason for the shift (Getty Images)

Walmart has said it will pull high-powered 'assault' rifles from its stores in US.

The decision on assault rifles was announced on Wednesday, before two TV journalists were fatally shot by a gunman with a handgun in Virgin. Walmart does not sell this type of gun, according to the New York Times.

The company said lower demand for military-style guns, rather than concerns over gun control, was the reason for the shift. It is reportedly planning to add more shotguns and other hunting guns to the current range.

But gun control advocates viewed the decision as significant because similar types of rifles have been used in recent shootings, including an attack on a cinema in Colorado in which 12 people died, and an attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in which 20 children and six staff members died.

As the biggest retailer of guns and ammunition in the US, Walmart has long been under pressure to stop selling guns in its stores.

Kory Lundberg, a Walmart spokeman, said that the store will no longer sell any weapons that can hold multiple rounds of ammunition. "It was done purely based on customer demand," Mr. Lundberg said.

The rifles will be removed from stores in the next week or so, he added.