NEWTOWN, Conn. – The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms industry, is pleased to announce that Smith & Wesson has joined NSSF’s #GUNVOTE Chairman’s Club with a $500,000 contribution to the association’s critical voter registration and education campaign. This is the largest contribution the #GUNVOTE campaign has received to date.
Formed in 1852 in Norwich, Connecticut, by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson, Smith & Wesson earned its early reputation with revolvers that mark the evolution of American history and have withstood the test of time. Today, Smith & Wesson is a leading manufacturer of firearms and a provider of quality accessory products for the shooting, hunting and rugged outdoor enthusiast. The company’s products address the consumer and global professional markets and include a broad range of polymer pistols, rifles and revolvers in the M&P® family of firearms. The company’s firearms brands include Smith & Wesson®, M&P®, Performance Center® and Thompson/Center Arms™, and the company is a leading provider of shooting, hunting and outdoor accessories under reputable brands such as Caldwell® Shooting Supplies, Wheeler® Engineering, and Tipton® Gun Cleaning Supplies.
“Smith & Wesson has set the bar high with this unprecedented half-million dollar contribution to our #GUNVOTE campaign,” said Lawrence Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “It is exactly that kind of commitment that will help ensure that our history and our rights will remain intact not just for us today, but for the generations to whom we will pass them on, and it is an example of dedication to our industry we encourage others to follow.”
James Debney, CEO of Smith & Wesson, said, “We are honored to support this effort on behalf of our employees and especially the law-abiding firearm owners of Massachusetts, who have so recently been denied their fundamental rights through arbitrary government action that threatens to turn lawful gun owners and dealers into criminals. To stop this from happening elsewhere, it is imperative that citizens across our nation are informed and knowledgeable about their rights, their candidates and the importance of their vote in this critical election year.”
NSSF’s #GUNVOTE – www.gunvote.org – is a voter registration and education platform for use by firearms industry manufacturers, wholesaler distributors, retailers, ranges and media members that helps gun owners, hunters and target shooters to register to vote, to become informed on where the candidates in 2016 stand on gun control and conservation issues, and encourages them on election day, armed with the facts, to #GUNVOTE so they do not risk their rights. Industry members are strongly encouraged to download the #GUNVOTE button for their websites and social media use and order #GUNVOTE decals for distribution to family, friends and customers.
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About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 13,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, visit www.nssf.org.
