WEB OF WEAPONS
Las Vegas massacre spurs gun sales online
Gun enthusiasts can’t get enough of the high-capacity magazines mass murderer Stephen Paddock reportedly used to shoot more than 500 people in Las Vegas.
The magazines, which hold up to 100 cartridges, are made by SureFire, according to a report, and they were sold out on at least three Web sites on Wednesday, The Post discovered.
SureFire, based in Fountain Valley, Calif., and the maker of magazines used by Paddock in his attack, according to TMZ, was out of stock on both the $149 60round magazine and the $189 100-round magazine, according to its site.
E-commerce sites BigArmory.com and GunmagWarehouse.com were also sold out of the items.
“Our magazines feed smoothly and reliably due to optimal geometry, non-binding coil springs, and nesting polymer followers,” SureFire boasts on its site.
Paddock modified at least one of his cache of 23 weapons, which he used to kill 58 concertgoers and injure 489 others Sunday night. In addition to the high-capacity magazines, he used a “bumper stock” modification that turned semi-automatic rifles into machine gun-like killing machines.
The SureFire magazines were first exposed on Tuesday when photos of the grizzly, blood-spattered hotel room were posted online.
While fully automatic rifles are nearly impossible for civilians to obtain, it’s perfectly legal for non-military gun owners to buy a semiautomatic weapon and trick it out so that it essentially acts like it’s fully automatic.
A representative for SureFire didn’t return an e- mail seeking comment.
While the two products are in great demand, one big investor is bucking the trend.
Goldman Sachs, run by Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein, invested in the privately held company in 2007, and is now looking to dump its holdings. “We plan to exit this investment as soon as possible,” a bank insider told The Post.
The bank invested in SureFire when it primarily made lighting fixtures for military weapons — and took a seat on its board.
Goldman stepped down from the board five years ago when SureFire changed direction and started selling high-capacity magazines to non-military customers.
A SureFire catalog from 2007 doesn’t mention magazines — although it did sell gun silencers, communications equipment and knives, in addition to the lights.
Axios, a news Web site, first reported on the Goldman plan to off-load its stake.
Other investors in SureFire include Broadsword Partners and Brooklyn NY Holdings. Reps for the two other private equity firms didn’t return calls and messages seeking comment.
Goldman owns a 15 percent stake in SureFire — currently valued at roughly $11 million, one insider said.
It’s unclear how much it paid for the initial stake — but it appears Goldman wants it gone. “You want to buy it? Name your price,” one Goldman exec quipped to The Post.