San Francisco — Two months after the death of 17 people at a school shooting in Florida in the US sparked the strongest push for gun control in years, gun makers’ stocks and firearm sales have surged. Uproar over the murders continued to stoke debate about regulation ahead of November’s elections, with students across the US planning a walk-out on Friday, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. The expectation of new regulations has sent gun owners worried about potential restrictions to shops to stock up — benefiting gun makers. The upcoming midterm elections could boost them further, as candidates at federal and state government levels call for restrictions on the sale of AR-15s and other assault-style rifles used in recent massacres. "If we’re getting close to the mid-terms and people perceive that there’s a realistic chance that the Democrats may take the House and the Senate, that certainly could swing the industry toward higher sales because of fears of pot...

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