Mass shootings have in recent years been followed by a predictable cycle: Politicians raise the potential for gun control policies, and gun industry-funded groups respond by exaggerating the reach of gun control, sending people into a gun-buying frenzy. Every mass shooting is effectively transformed into an opportunity for profit. But following the October 1 mass murder in Las Vegas, which took the lives of 58 people and left 546 others injured, that cycle seems to have broken. And gun companies and their investors have noticed. Sturm, Ruger & Company, one of the largest gun manufacturers in America, had its most recent earnings call on November 1. On the call, Rommel Dionisio, an analyst with Aegis Capital, asked if the gun industry had reaped any additional sales from the “incidents in Las Vegas.” Specifically, he asked whether an increase in gun purchasing comparable to “demand spikes after San Bernardino and Orlando a year ago” had occurred. Christopher Killoy, chief executive of Sturm Ruger, said the Las Vegas shooting was “obviously a very tragic event,” but his sales team had not noted “any impact.” Listen to the exchange here:



A similar conversation took place on the November 9 earnings call for Compass Diversified Holdings, a firm that owns a firearms accessory company. One analyst asked Compass partner Elias Sabo if “fairly significant firearms incidents recently” have had “an effect on demand.” Sabo said that the firm has not seen a spike in sales. In the past, Sabo noted, “There was a different tone being discussed surrounding gun control, and that doesn’t appear to be the case right now.” He added: “I don’t think that our country has become desensitized to these types of incidents, but perhaps they have, which would be pretty stunning. But I think it’s more likely attributable to the lack of discussion surrounding change in gun laws, which I think really spurred a lot of demand post the incidents that you reference.” Listen to the exchange here:

