“Mr. Obama is the best gun salesman on the planet,” investor Louis Navellier told CNBC this week, after share prices in gun manufacturers rose again. In Navellier’s opinion, shared by many, Obama’s proposed executive action on gun control pushed the shares higher. But the shares don’t need Mr. Obama in order to rise. All they need are murderers. Shares in large firearms manufacturers like Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger & Company rise whenever there is a mass murder or terrorist attack, such as the recent attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California.
The New York Times points out that shares in those two gun manufacturers are both up more than 900% since 2009, gaining more value than the stock of Apple, which is up 800% over that time. And this rise has occurred despite a moratorium on investing in gun-related shares by many funds, who’ve declared gun profits unconscionable. Even with fewer investors, the shares rise.
