Walmart has pulled the Bushmaster Patrolman's Carbine M4A3 Rifle from its web store, The Nation reported on Monday.
The gun, a military-style assault weapon that uses .223 caliber ammunition, is in the same family of guns as the one reportedly used by Adam Lanza to kill 26 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary school on Friday.
In addition to the one offered by Walmart, there are several other Bushmaster rifles that use .223 caliber ammunition. The authorities did not disclose the exact model used by Lanza.
Walmart, the world's largest retailer with 4,602 locations in the U.S., sells more firearms and ammunition than any national competitor, according to several news outlets. While Walmart stopped selling guns in a third of its stores in 2006, citing low demand, the company has in recent years beefed up its sale of weapons. Walmart expanded guns from 1,300 to 1,750 stores in 2011, a Walmart spokesperson told The Huffington Post earlier this year.
Walmart did not immediately respond on Monday to HuffPost's request for comment on why it pulled the gun.
Demand for guns has risen over past year, due to a renewed interest in firearms among younger generations and the fear of new gun control legislation in the wake of President Obama's reelection.
A cached version of Walmart's website, saved earlier today by Google at 12:35 GMT, shows a photo and description of the gun, which was only available in stores.
Accessed Friday afternoon at 6 p.m. EST, the item could no longer be found:
Cabela's, another sporting-goods store, was still displaying three models of Bushmaster .223 rifles on its website Monday afternoon. The rifles ranged from $800 to $1100 in price.
Bass Pro Shops and Dick's Sporting Goods, two other national retailers that also sell firearms, have not recently displayed Bushmaster .223 caliber rifles in their web stores, according to Google searches.
Have you noticed companies promoting guns differently since the Sandy Hook massacre? Email us at business-tips@huffintonpost.com
Clarification: Language has been changed to more accurately characterize the rifle used in the Newtown shooting.
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