Words by Qadirah Abdur-Rahman
A dramatic rise in gun stocks has been reported since the devastating mass shooting in Las Vegas Sunday night. After a gunman killed 59 people during an outdoor concert and wounded over 500 civilians, shares of rifles and bullets have risen like no other. Shares of a rifle company called Sturm Ruger (RGR) were up 4%; and shares of an ammunition company called Olin (OLN), rose by 6%, according to CNN.
Why does this happen? Fear. Apparently, gun investors and rifle supporters fear that these deadly massacres will lead to tougher gun control or extreme gun confiscation tactics in America. Mass shootings have become such a regular occurrence that it is simply routine for gun supporters to invest in more rifles immediately after a mass shooting incident happens. The ideology is that the purchase of more guns is necessary before all guns are taken away.
And sadly this happened in the past; even following a few well known massacres, such as,
- The Pulse NightClub shootout in Orlando of June 2016
- San Bernardino in December 2015
- The movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, in 2012
- The Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, per CNN.
Since President Trump took office and has been backed by the NRA, gun shares have dropped being that the Trump administration does not show efforts to alter gun control in America.
However, it is very clear that whenever a major shooting occurs, rifle owners are more of afraid of gun control rather than the fear of their own gun.
