Smith & Wesson President and CEO Mark Smith blasted Democrats who are blaming the gun manufacturing company for the rise of gun violence across the U.S.
In a statement released on Monday, Smith pointed out how Democratic policies toward criminal justice and law enforcement have been the reasons for the rising crime.
Amid an unprecedented and unjustified attack on the firearm industry, Smith & Wesson President & CEO issues strong statement: pic.twitter.com/6NHztbGIe4
— Smith & Wesson Inc. (@Smith_WessonInc) August 15, 2022
“Some have the audacity to suggest that after they have vilified, undermined and defunded law enforcement for years, supported prosecutors who refuse to hold criminals accountable for their actions, overseen the decay of our country’s mental health infrastructure, and generally promoted a culture of lawlessness, Smith & Wesson and other firearm manufacturers are somehow responsible for the crime wave that has predictably resulted from these destructive policies,” Smith stated.
“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. Instead, Smith & Wesson provides these citizens with the means to protect themselves and their families,” he added.
The CEO concluded his statement by vowing to “never back down in our defense of the 2nd Amendment.”
Democratic cities across the U.S. are struggling to crack down on gun violence as lawmakers on Capitol Hill discuss tougher gun control legislation following recent mass shootings.
In Seattle, for example, the city’s violent crime rate reached a 14-year-high in 2021. Records of shots fired also rose by 40% in 2021 compared to 2020, and by 86% from 2019.
A report from the Washington Examiner also found that liberal law enforcement policies are the main contributors to the issue, as relatively few guns historically have been purchased in ways Congress wants to regulate with its latest gun control push.
A 2019 study by the Department of Justice also said that only 7% of federal prisoners in possession of a firearm at the time of their crimes had purchased the gun from a licensed firearm dealer.
Additionally, police in Washington, D.C. confiscated about 2,400 illegal guns in 2021 but prosecutors in many cases declined to press charges despite shootings and murders have increased in the city.
