Gun stocks surge after Dallas shooting

gun store ar-15s

(Salesman Ryan Martinez clears the chamber of an AR-15 at the "Ready Gunner" gun store in in Provo, Utah, June 21, 2016.Reuters/George Frey)

Shares of large gunmakers are heading higher in premarket trading Friday, the morning after at least 11 police officers and one civilian were shot in Dallas.

Smith and Wesson was up about 5.2% premarket, nearing an all-time high, while Sturm, Ruger, and Company was higher by 3.8% as of 8:38 a.m. ET.

Five officers were killed, and three are in critical condition after two snipers opened fire during a protest in downtown Dallas on Thursday night.

Three suspects are in custody, and another was killed after a shootout and standoff with the police.

Gun stocks have consistently rallied after mass shootings, including the days after the attacks in Orlando, Florida, and San Bernardino, California.

President Barack Obama said the Dallas attack was a "vicious, calculated, and despicable attack on law enforcement" on Friday morning before a meeting with NATO leaders in Poland.

"We also know when people are armed with powerful weapons unfortunately it makes attacks like these more deadly and more tragic," Obama continued. "In the days ahead we are going to have to consider those realities as well."

Gun stocks, as we've noted, have typically rallied after mass shootings as the possibility of gun-control measures has caused demand to increase. Smith and Wesson reported a 22% increase in firearm sales in its most recent quarter over the same period a year before.

Here's Smith and Wesson:

Screen Shot 2016 07 08 at 7.37.25 AM

(Yahoo Finance)

And Strum Ruger:

Screen Shot 2016 07 08 at 7.38.34 AM

(Yahoo Finance)

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