Sources: Smith & Wesson agrees to change gun marketing, design

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dZ

New member
Government sources tell CNN that gun manufacturer
Smith & Wesson has agreed to what they call "a historic"
settlement in which the company will make several
changes in its gun marketing, manufacturing and design
practices.

The federal government, along with some cities, had
threatened to sue gun manufacturers over the use of
guns in public housing. Details of the agreement will be
unveiled around midday Friday.

FULL STORY SOON
http://www.cnn.com/
 
Smith & Wesson, governments announce
gun safety settlement

From staff and wire reports

March 17, 2000
Web posted at: 12:55 p.m. EST (1755 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Smith & Wesson, the nation's leading
gun manufacturer, on Friday agreed to what government officials
call "a historic" legal settlement in which the company will make
several changes in its gun marketing, manufacturing and design
practices.

"We have all said that something must be done about unnecessary
gun violence in this country," Housing and Urban Development
Secretary Andrew Cuomo said Friday at a news conference to
announce the settlement. He noted approximately 30 states, cities
and counties have filed or threatened to file suit against the
industry, and HUD announced in December that it might join in
unless an agreement could be reached with major gun
manufacturers on safety issues.

"This settlement will bring fundamental changes in areas we
focused on right from the start," said Cuomo, including licensing,
manufacturing and safety.

Details of the agreement were unveiled at midday a news
conference at HUD headquarters. Federal officials, Smith &
Wesson President Ed Schultz and officials from a number of cities,
including Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, St. Louis, Los Angeles and San
Francisco, participated in person or by telephone conference call.

Under the deal, Smith & Wesson agreed to a "code of conduct" for
sales and distribution of handguns.

The company would sell its products "only to authorized dealers
and distributors" who also agree to certain conditions. A dealer or
distributor would have its contract with the manufacturer
terminated, for instance, if "a disproportionate number" of crimes
were traced to the weapons it sells.

In exchange for its commitments toward advancing gun safety,
Smith & Wesson won an agreement by the federal, state and local
governments to dismiss pending suits against it or refrain from
filing new suits. The administration had been threatening to bring a
national lawsuit against the industry if manufacturers failed to
enter negotiations aimed at increasing gun safety.

Today's deal affects only Smith & Wesson, one of eight major gun
manufacturers.

"Our goal in reaching an accord is to continue to sell to the
consumer market. It would have been easy to agree to sell to the
law enforcement and military communities only, but that has
never been an option," said Ken Jorgensen, a Smith & Wesson
spokesman. "The effect of this agreement will mean a change in
the way Smith & Wesson does business. It will not sacrifice the
Second Amendment rights of gun owners, something we will not
do."

The first major sign that an announcement was impending came
Friday morning, when Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers
abruptly canceled a speech in Florida at the annual Futures
Industry Association conference and returned to Washington.

"He had to leave because the president asked him to come back,"
said John Damgard, president of the FIA. "There is an event at the
White House that involves handgun legislation."

The Treasury Department, which includes the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms, at first refused to specify why Summers
was returning to Washington but officials later confirmed he would
return to announce the settlement.

Gun control has been a major issue in recent days as the White
House and the National Rifle Association have exchanged salvos
over the matter.

The latest series of exchanges began Sunday when National Rifle
Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said he
believed President Bill Clinton tolerated gun killings so as to
exploit them for political gain. The White House has angrily
rejected the charge.

CNN's Pierre Thomas, Reuters and The Associated Press
contributed to this report.

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RELATED SITES
The White House Web
site

Department of Housing
and Urban Development
Web site

Hand Gun Control Inc.
Web site

National Rifle
Association Web site


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(CNN) -- Smith & Wesson, the nation's leading gun
manufacturer, on Friday, March 17, agreed to what
government officials call "a historic" legal settlement in
which the company will make several changes in its gun
marketing, manufacturing and design practices.

"We have all said that something must be done about
unnecessary gun violence in this country," Housing and
Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo said Friday
at a news conference to announce the settlement. He noted
approximately 30 states, cities and counties have filed or
threatened to file suit against the industry, and HUD
announced in December that it might join in unless an
agreement could be reached with major gun manufacturers
on safety issues.

What do you think about the Smith & Wesson
settlement? What is your opinion of gun-control
efforts? What's your take on the debate between
Clinton and the NRA?
http://community.cnn.com/cgi-bin/WebX?13@@.ee7b396
 
New Harry Calihan qoute

"This is a 44 Mag, the most powerfull handgun in the world.. Hold on a sec, have to get the trigger lock off, ok its the most powerful handgun in the world.

"Go ahead make my day" Calihan's day was made cause he couldn't get this trigger lock off fast enough.
 
This has a lot to do with nothing! Absolutely nothing was gained or lost by this so called deal. Look at it this way, Smith & Wesson just sold beach front property to this Administration in Arizona. Just comes to show how stupid our government really is. It get the law suits off the manufactures back and all but insures the flow of firearms will continue. So Klinton claims victory, BFD. I get the satisfaction to say that he's a dumb ass.

Robert
 
I agree, Robert. I think the NRA scared the Clinton Administration and made them open to any kind of a quick agreement they could pretend was a victory. By design or luck, S&W's timing was right; they got out from under at little cost to them or us. They already provide trigger locks with all their guns, and it's in everybody's interest to clamp down on the minority of scumbag dealers. Smart guns are a maybe, at best. I'm betting that when HCI examines this deal, they are not going to be all that pleased with Clinton-Gore. Byron
 
Well, if you guys think this was a victory, I'd hate to see your definition of defeat.
Integral safety locks within two years--what is that? "Smart gun" technology within three years---think law enforcement will exempt themselves? Guns that cannot be fired by a child in two years--ready for 12 pound triggers? Require dealers who sell S&W's to require purchasers to take a gun safety course before the gun can be purchased----"Aw, sh*t, man. I'll just take that Raven over there for my party tonight."
Ballistic fingerprinting of every gun they manufacture.

Clinton said, "It is about saving lives. This agreement shows we can get so much done when we find the courage to find common ground."

Actually, it shows how much a sitting president can get when he threatens to sue a
legally-run company out of business.

Dick
 
Wonder how soon it will be when someone sues S&W when the integral lock fails to prevent some kid from discharging said firearm.Or worse...when legal owners estate sues because integral lock would NOT unlock...and legal owner is killed by BG. :confused:
 
Mr. X,

I think you've hit the nail on the head! Smith & Wesson may have dodged this latest lawsuit "bullet", but they've made promises they can't keep. They have simply deferred the lawsuits, not eliminated them. They will pay now because many gun buyers will look elsewhere for firearms, and they'll pay later in different lawsuits when it looks like they didn't deliver on what they've promised in this "deal".

Horny Toad

------------------
---------------
NRA Life Member
SAF Member
GOA Member
 
S&W sold out - period. Eliot Spitzer, a New York attorney, says that the government is the largest purchaser of handguns.

NOW does anyone see a connection here?
S&W won't be getting any of my business; they will have plenty from the government, I'll bet. And I certainly do not see this as a victory of any kind.

Richard Blumenthal, "...and it will help to keep them out of the hands of criminals."
Your Spanish words for the day - TORO POO-POO. God these speeches are making me sick, and I just woke up to it!
 
CSPAN right now has the liberal gloat fest on.
the are saying this is the floor, just the start...

SHUN SMITH & WESSON!!!!!!!!

dZ
 
some day, people will see what the true agendas for the agreement were about--political agendas and crap--but for now, i'll just take a deep sigh
 
Safe gun technology in the J frame line.
Yeah - right!

However, they sold out because they are a business - just like businesses screw American workers to produce crap in Indonesia.

The most interesting sell out is the GOP Congressional leadership - did you see these fat cowardly slugs attempt one legislative maneouver to stop the suits?

They will go to the wall for a tax cut for the rich, won't they?
 
I too think that S&W threw the Administration an essentially meaningless bone. Anti-gun people are so irrational that they really think all this was significant--it isn't. Maybe we ought to get smart and overwhelm them with 'safety' stuff--free classes, free pamphlets, bumper stickers, comic books, etc., and get out in front of the issues for once. Even if it were only 1% effective it would take the initiative away from the ignorant.

------------------
 
Robert: Yeah, and I suppose some of the Jews in Germany thought they could get out ahead of the Nazis; Didn't work, though.

The provisions of this "settlement", (Actually, "capitulation", HUD hadn't sued yet, and very well might not have anyway.) as they apply to dealers are so onerous that were I a dealer, I'd tell S&W to shove their guns up any convenient orifice.

About the only bright side of this is that the lawyer for the cities' suits has already anounced that they're STILL going after S&W; The other gun companies got a lesson in how useless it is to try to buy off one assailant when you're being attacked by an army. Surrender is NOT an option when you face an opponent determine to destroy you, whether you surrender or not!

------------------
Sic semper tyrannis!
 
As for the internal locking mechanism, I believe S&W has designed this already. I think it uses a key to block the trigger. It's probably like the new taurus lock. If you don't want it, I'll bet you can just set it on fire, and throw the key away.

Of course, I'm not happy with this developement. Almost all these seemed to be aimed a "Gun saftey" (ahem), so I'm quite puzzled how this going to reduce "Gun violence." It's all very well to say our gun death rate for kids is higher than every other industrialized country, but it's a pity Clinton doesn't actually tell how many kids die accidentally from guns a year- for children under ten, it's less than forty, which is of course much less than just about any other kind of accidental death- fire, cars, drowning. Why doesn't HUD sue makers of pools? Drowning kills many more children than guns, either accidentally or intentionally. Especially when you consider how many more guns there are than pools.

It's my understanding that most accidental gun deaths involve long guns anyway. We have about 300 fatal handgun accidents a year, don't we? How many fatal car accidents? 40,000-50,000?
 
Haven't read all the S&W posts, but so far, all the reports I have read are from Rueter, CNN, the tele, the radio - none of which are credible sources.

What's the word from S&W?

Think I'll reserve judgement till I can hear it from the horse's mouth.
 
S&W did sell us out, especially when Beretta has won and recovered legal fees from the plantiffs. Not only that, there are now sixteen states that now have in law protecting firearms manufacturers against "reckless lawsuits" aimed at putting them out of business.

[This message has been edited by walangkatapat (edited March 18, 2000).]
 
I'm puzzled. I've read from some sources, but not from others, that S&W will be forced to sell smart guns almost exclusively in three years. Is this true or not?
 
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