The gunmakers have been going gangbusters

So far, the big winners to come of lawmakers' attempts to rein in gun violence are the makers of guns, themselves. 

Have a look at this chart that Washington Post editor Chris Cillizza tweeted out Wednesday:

It suggests that the gun industry has benefited to the tune of $9 billion since President Barack Obama took office in 2009, and, that firearms enthusiasts started loading up on guns and ammo almost the moment he won the 2008 election.

Lawmakers including President Obama railed against the gun industry in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting that left more than two dozen students and staffers dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

But, so far, the biggest beneficiaries of attempts to scale back on the availability and volume of guns and ammunition in America have been the makers of firearms. 

The popular explanation is that when anti-gun rhetoric amplifies, gun enthusiasts hoard guns.

Firearms makers' stocks shooting out the lights in 2015

Take Smith & Wesson Corp.: last week, the gun maker posted its biggest earnings surprise in the last four quarters and shares are up more than 40% just in 2015. Sturm Ruger & Co., another publicly-listed gun maker, is doing even better this year. 

Still, some lawmakers remain undeterred. Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords - herself a victim of a shooting spree - is still pushing legislation in Washington that would require an expansion of identity checks for people planning to purchase firearms. 

Cillizza, and the Post, break down gun sales data further in this post. 

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S&P 500, Sturm Ruger, Smith & Wesson