A student and alumni advocacy organization has released federal regulatory filings showing that Harvard University’s endowment is invested in gun manufacturers.

The Responsible Investment at Harvard Coalition called the holdings “shocking” and called on the university to divest.

“Given the tragedy in Newtown and the fatal shooting on campus four years ago, Harvard’s failure to address these holdings is shocking,” Kevin Wang, a freshman and the coalition’s investments coordinator, said, referring to the December massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School and the May 18, 2009, killing of 21-year-old Justin Cosby inside Kirkland Hall. “Stopping gun violence should be a critical concern for the university, and severing financial ties with these companies is a good first step.”

The coalition found that the endowment, which topped $32 billion for fiscal year 2011, is invested in firearms company Smith and Wesson through the exchange-traded iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund. Harvard also invests in several funds managed by The Vanguard Group, which is Smith and Wesson’s largest shareholder.

The announcement follows a recent decision by the Harvard Management Co., which manages the endowment, to hire a vice president for sustainable investment, who will be charged with analyzing the environmental, social and governance impacts of the university’s investments.

“We expect the vice president for sustainable investment to further investigate Harvard’s holdings and recommend appropriate divestment decisions,” said Aryt Alasti, a Harvard security guard and coalition member. “There should be attention to this matter from the first day on the job.”

The $244 billion California Public Employees Retirement System recently divested from index funds containing Smith and Wesson and other firearms manufacturers. The California State Teachers’ Retirement System took similar action a month earlier in the wake of the Newtown shootings.

“Teacher unions and state pension funds divested because they recognize that firearms manufacturers threaten our schools and communities,” said Camilla Gibson, a Harvard College sophomore. “Harvard should follow their lead and cut their ties to Smith and Wesson and all other firearms manufacturers.”

When reached by the Herald, a Harvard spokesman said the university would not comment on specific investments made by its endowment.