Justice Department Considers Loosening Gun Regulations
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 20 2026
0mins
The Justice Department is considering loosening gun regulations in an attempt to bolster support from Second Amendment advocates, Perry Stein of Washington Post reports, citing three people familiar with the changes. Some of the changes are expected to ease restrictions on the private sale of guns and loosening regulations around shipping firearms, sources told the paper. Publicly traded companies in the gun space include Smith & Wesson Brands (SWBI) and Sturm Ruger (RGR).
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Analyst Views on RGR
Wall Street analysts forecast RGR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for RGR is 41.00 USD with a low forecast of 41.00 USD and a high forecast of 41.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
1 Analyst Rating
1 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 37.520
Low
41.00
Averages
41.00
High
41.00
Current: 37.520
Low
41.00
Averages
41.00
High
41.00
No data
About RGR
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. is a manufacturer of rugged firearms for the commercial sporting market. The Company's segments include firearms and castings. The firearms segment manufactures and sells rifles, pistols and revolvers principally to a number of federally-licensed, independent wholesale distributors primarily located in the United States. The Company also manufactures and sells accessories and replacement parts for its firearms. It primarily offers products in three industry product categories: rifles, pistols and revolvers. The castings segment manufactures and sells investment castings made from steel alloys and metal injection molding (MIM) parts for internal use in the firearms segment. The castings and MIM parts are sold to outside customers, either directly or through manufacturers’ representatives. With products made in United States, the Company offers consumers almost 800 variations of more than 40 product lines, across both the Ruger and Marlin brands.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
U.S. Considers Easing Gun Regulations, Impacting Major Gun Stocks
- Regulatory Changes Expected: The U.S. government may announce easing of gun regulations at the National Shooting Sports Foundation trade show, likely impacting major gun stocks like Smith & Wesson (SWBI) and Sturm, Ruger (RGR), potentially stimulating sales growth.
- Positive Market Reaction: As trading begins this week, retail sentiment has shifted to bullish for RGR and neutral for AOUT, indicating market optimism regarding potential policy changes and their implications for stock performance.
- Sales Growth Potential: Easing restrictions on private sales and exports is expected to boost firearm sales, likely leading to strong short-term performance for SWBI, RGR, and other related stocks, reflecting market sensitivity to regulatory changes.
- Political Context Impact: The Trump administration's intent to reverse Biden-era gun restrictions highlights the significance of gun policy in U.S. politics, potentially further driving growth in the firearms industry and increasing investor interest.
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