Gun Sales Spike, But Wall Street Tells Different Story

SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- Firearm background checks soared to record highs on Black Friday following mass shootings in France and a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado. Smith School professor Anand Gopal says the spike follows a pattern, which might drive even more gun sales in the aftermath of Wednesday's attack in California. Mass shootings tend to cause gun sales to rise, he says, partly because the presence of weapons in society becomes harder to ignore. But a new study from Gopal and a co-author shows a different trend on Wall Street. They found that stock prices declined significantly at Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger & Company following mass shootings from from January 2009 to September 2013. Gopal says the results suggest a consensus among investors that tighter gun control laws are inevitable. Read more...