After mass shootings in America, shares of gun makers tend to rise, in correlation to a spike in sales. This has been a proven trend in past shootings, and the effects have often been seen on the stock market even before a "final tally of casualties can be reached."
The mass shooting in Las Vegas on October 1st was the deadliest mass shooting in American history. The gunman, 64 year old Stephen Paddock, spent "three days in Las Vegas before his attack" and successfully obtained a "huge stockpile of guns." Before the details of the shooting had managed to spread locally, Paddock had committed suicide. Until his suicide, he managed to kill 58 people, and injure hundreds more by firing into the crowd of a country music concert (the Route 91 Harvest Festival), and inside the hallway of his hotel.
Gun sales typically spike due to the fear that a "deadly event could lead to more stringent gun-control legislation," which could potentially make purchasing guns, justified by the purchasers for 'in case of emergency', more difficult. The desire to stockpile weapons accounts for this reason. The desire to defend oneself with guns against future attacks, accounts for another reason. Furthermore, gun stocks have tended to rise in America whenever the leaders in power "lobby for gun control." The opposite is also true: gun shares have "remained constrained" since Trump's presidency started.
The Trump administration has sought to revive gun stocks by "easing the export rules of small firearms." They hope to pass a plan to "transfer the surveillance of international non-military firearms sales rights from the State Department to the Commerce Department." The Commerce Department is expected to be "more lenient" and cut the traditional "red tape regarding the arms sales." Ethically inclined commentators are concerned that this would constitute a sacrifice of safety, for profit. Trump's administration is expected to increase arms sales by 15-20% annually, according to an expert from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Three top-rated gun stocks that have risen since the mass shooting include Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE; RGR), American Outdoor Brands Corp. (NASDAQ: AOBC), and Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO). Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. is involved in the design, manufacture and sale of firearms and precision investment castings. It is expected to grow 20.9% in earnings next year. After the mass shooting, the company gained 3.5% in shares in the previous trading session. American Outdoor Brands Corp. is a firearm manufacturer, seller and firearms accessories producer. It is expected to grow 65% in earnings in the next fiscal year, and gained 3.2% in the previous trading session. Vista Outdoor Inc. develops, manufactures, and distributes protective accessories for use while operating firearms. Its annual earnings are expected to grow by 32.7% in the next fiscal year, and its shares rose 2.4% in the last trading session.
Overall however, commentators deem it unlikely that the spike in firearm sales will be long-lasting. However, the Las Vegas shooting is likely to stall the firearms export law from being amended, which would in turn stall the gun industry's growth.