Smith & Wesson To Shut Down 2 Plants

Source: CBS MarketWatch
Published: 6/13/00
Author: JEFF DONN

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) – Smith & Wesson, which angered some competitors and consumers when it struck a federal gun-safety deal, will suspend firearms manufacturing at two plants for a month.

The company said in a news release that it would place an unspecified number of workers on unpaid leave from July 3 through July 28. Other parts of the company, including customer service and shipping, will continue to operate.

The company blamed “normal summer softness in the firearms market compounded by the reaction of some consumers to the agreement Smith & Wesson signed with federal, state and local government entities.”

In the past, Smith & Wesson has closed for one or two weeks during the summer for a vacation period, the Union-News reported for Tuesday’s editions.

WGGB-TV in Springfield, citing company representatives it didn’t identify, reported that about 500 workers would be affected at plants in Springfield and Houlton, Maine.

A spokesman for Springfield-based Smith & Wesson, the nation’s largest handgun maker, did not return a call seeking comment Monday.

The company hoped its agreement with the government would bring in more contracts from city police departments. But a conference of the National Rifle Association last month underscored how the deal has hurt the company with some buyers, as some shunned the gun maker’s exhibit.

In the March 17 agreement, Smith & Wesson promised to install safety locks, demand background checks on gun-show buyers, and work on guns that can be fired only by their owner. Public officials agreed to drop Smith & Wesson from municipal lawsuits challenging the safety and marketing practices of the gun industry.

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