Why Is Smith & Wesson Still Here?
by Carl Bussjaeger
[email protected]

Exclusive to TLE

What with being busy these past few years with writing, editing, and publishing (other things like Free Hunter and the Verizon boycott), and being as broke as most writers, I haven't being keeping up with gun magazines. But lately, I've had a little spare time, and access to a another gunnie's subscriptions. It's been fun catching up.

Mostly.

Now, even I noticed when Smith & Wesson staged its big comeback with a new line of guns. I'll even admit that the Model 500 caught my eye, despite the manufacturer. But what I've only recently discovered is that a lot of magazines and gun writers (and judging by letters to the editors, ordinary shooters, too) have embraced S&W with open arms.

I hope that you remember that a few years back during the Clinton administration, S&W signed an agreement with the government to render handguns nearly useless for defense, and to implement gun rationing, among other nasty, unconstitutional things. Naturally, we were outraged, and struck back with a boycott. An effective boycott it was, too. S&W ended up sold for pennies on the dollar to a small company which wished to expand its business.

But here's where I get confused. Maybe during my "busy" period, I missed something. S&W committed a grave offense against all Americans, and gunnies in particular. I'm inclined to call it an unforgivable offense. And the company which purchased S&W was no better; a trigger lock manufacturer that tried to drum up more business for itself by pushing for mandatory gun locks. Yet all this seems to be generally forgotten as people fawn over the new toys from the villainous scum.

Perhaps someone can explain this. Did I somehow miss the public heartfelt apology from S&W, along with its monetarily bonded promise to actively support the right to keep and bear arms and to never ever piss on our rights again?

All I saw was the government deciding that the agreement was a flop, after it failed to get enough financially suicidal gun makers to sign on. I missed the part where S&W told the gun grabbers to fold their agreement into sharp pointy corners and shove it. It just hoped that with the agreement no longer being enforced, and new (victim disarming) management, gunnies would just move on and forget what it tried to do to them.

And S&W seems to have been right. Unless I missed the apology, reparations, and promises.

Tell me, did I miss all that? Or should Smith & Wesson still die?

I don't care how neat that 500 is; until I know S&W has made things right, and can be trusted to keep doing right, it aren't getting my money. The mere passage of time doesn't erase its crimes.

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