Congress is pushing back against Smith and Wesson CEO Mark Smith after he blamed politicians for the surge in gun violence. Smith put out a statement last week that read in part, "A number of politicians and their lobbying partners in the media have recently sought to disparage Smith and Wesson." On Wednesday, House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney accused Smith of seeking to protect the gun manufacturer's profits, noting that he refused to give testimony. The committee says Smith and Wesson and other firearms manufacturers have made more than a billion dollars in the last decade selling military-style weapons.
According to the CEO Mark Smith's statement:
"It is no surprise that the cities suffering most from violent crime are the very same cities that have promoted irresponsible, soft-on-crime policies that often treat criminals as victims and victims as criminals. Many of these same cities also maintain the strictest gun laws in the nation. But rather than confront the failure of their policies, certain politicians have sought more laws restricting the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens, while simultaneously continuing to undermine our institutions of law and order. And to suppress the truth, some now seek to prohibit firearm manufacturers and supporters of the 2nd Amendment from advertising products in a manner designed to remind law-abiding citizens that they have a Constitutional right to bear arms in defense of themselves and their families.
To be clear, a Smith & Wesson firearm has never broken into a home; a Smith & Wesson firearm has never assaulted a woman out for a late-night run in the city; a Smith & Wesson firearm has never carjacked an unsuspecting driver stopped at a traffic light."
Smith and Wesson is headquartered in Springfield, but the company is moving to Tennessee next year because it claims there is an unfavorable business environment in Massachusetts.
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