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S&W Just Doesn't Get It
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"...[S&W] recently entered into a new agreement with anti-gun
politicians... it is actually worse..." |
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James Jay Baker |
When Smith & Wesson (S&W) signed an agreement with gun-ban
extremists within the federal government last March - an agreement
often referred to as the S&W Sellout (Special FAX Alert,
3/20/00) - it was spurned with virtual unanimity by the firearms
industry, the pro-Second Amendment community, and consumers.
NRA-ILA Executive Director James Jay Baker decried the Sellout as
"a futile act of craven self interest," and gun owners responded
by refusing to purchase S&W products, leaving the company
teetering on the precipice of financial disaster. Later in the
year, S&W CEO Ed Schultz - one of the primary architects of the
Sellout - was removed from his position, and speculation began that
S&W might soon change its corporate policy.
Unfortunately, it appears that S&W has not learned its lesson.
The company recently entered into a new agreement with anti-gun
politicians, this time with the city of Boston, that is almost
identical to the original. In the places it differs, however, it
is actually worse.
For instance, the new agreement
- sets more complicated standards
for a mandatory second serial number, and
- it is also more
stringent in its requirement that S&W commit revenue to "smart"
gun research.
Both of these features of the "Boston Sellout" are
likely to result in added costs that will be passed on to those
consumers who have not yet abandoned S&W, but may do so when they
learn it is they who will be left shouldering the financial
burden of propping up a company struggling with failing sales.
Perhaps most troubling, however, is that this latest capitulation
to the gun-ban movement requires a "compliance liaison" from S&W
to consult with the city on manufacturing compliance issues. In
other words, politicians who wish to ban firearms will have a
direct hand in how those firearms are designed and manufactured.
Obviously, the leadership change at S&W has not brought any new
ideas to the company, and, in fact, may have exacerbated them. It
continues to take action detrimental not only to itself, but to
gun owners and the gun industry at large. It is sad to see a once
proud gun company and industry leader following such a misguided
path, but perhaps it will realize its error before doing any more
harm to gun owners, or irreparable harm to itself.
Related Stories...
(10/20/00) S&W's Self-Imposed Woes Continue
(10/13/00) S&W CEO Shultz Gone
(07/28/00) S&W Sellout Saga Continues
(07/14/00) S&W Sellout Rejected For Treasury Department
(07/07/00) Smith & Wesson's CEO Remains in Hot Water
(06/16/00) S&W Sellout Leading to Financial Troubles?
(05/26/00) S&W Sellout rejected for U.S. Troops
(04/18/00) American Derringer Responds to the S&W Sellout **
(04/15/00) S&W Sellout Useless?
(03/24/00) Smith & Wesson SELLOUT Has No Effect On Rest Of Industry
(03/20/00) Smith & Wesson BETRAYAL Runs Deep
(03/17/00) Smith & Wesson Surrenders
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