Passive investing in firearms companies through mutual funds

Basic knowledge of mutual funds should be understood to understand this post. Coincidentally, this info will be easy to get. You may still be investing in the firearms industry through your 401k...Period! Most gun companies aren't listed on stock indexes plain as day. Most are actually owned by other larger companies, who are in business with a multitude of firearm manufacturers Your average U.S. citizen see's Walmart's move to change their company laws about the purchase of guns and weapons as motivational. What consumers may not know is that Walmart has big Mutual Fund investors. Some of which are valuable because they are socially conscious mutual funds. You can figure they said a thing or two when Walmart happened to have two gun incidents in two of their stores.  So as a beginner, whether as an investor or finally taking a looking at your retirement plan lets find out who is who.

We'll take a look at 2 ways to sift through your investments. The goal will be to locate these gun stocks, without having to research your entire portfolio.

Google search for "companies who own gun companies"

Searching for the big wig companies that have purchased gun companies is your best start. It'll open your mind up to the company names who actually have pleasant names. The company's first impression hardly ever gives off the idea they have a gun company in its investment portfolio. 

You'll first notice 3 company names at the top of your google search. American Outdoor Brands, Vista Outdoor and Sturm, Ruger & Co. These companies are all publicly traded as U.S. stocks. American Outdoors Brands owns 18 brands, one of them being Smith & Wesson. You won't directly have these companies in your 401k, but it's good to know who's playing a part. 

Look in your Small Cap Mutual Funds

If you're investing for the long haul and have small-cap funs within your portfolio, check to see what they're invested in. Small cap mutual funds, or small U.S. Companies as they are also known as stocks with a market capitalization of between $300 million and $2 billion. If you own a small cap fund, then most likely you may have a gun company mixed in that fund. 

These two methods should help you filter through your 401k better. Allowing you to see the companies that you may not want to give money to. The choice is up to you. I know in most cases the blue-collar worker isn't monitoring his retirement account every 3-6 months. These two tactics should help you. Below you'll find a cheat list to see actual Mutual Fund companies who invest in firearms. 

Here are some cheats...a list of funds who have guns in their portfolios

American Mutual Funds

BlackRock/iShares

Vanguard

Fidelity

Dimensional Fund Advisors

TIAA

Invesco/PowerShares

First Eagle

Franklin Templeton