Smith and Wesson celebrates opening of $125m HQ in gun-friendly Tennessee – after moving from longtime home in Massachusetts
Smith and Wesson celebrates opening of $125 million headquarters in gun-friendly Tennessee — after moving from longtime home in Massachusetts
- The gun maker has built a new 650,000-square-foot office in Maryville, Tennessee
- Smith & Wesson moved from Springfield, Massachusetts, where they had been since the mid-19th century, to move to a more gun-friendly state
Gun maker Smith & Wesson hosted a grand opening of its $125 million new headquarters in Tennessee after moving from its longtime home in Massachusetts.
The company built a new 650,000-square-foot office in Maryville, Tenn., as part of a relocation plan announced in 2021.
The gunmaker had been located in Springfield, Massachusetts since the mid-19th century, but had hoped to relocate to a more gun-friendly state.
“From where I stand, the next 170 years of Smith & Wesson are looking pretty good. This is something special here in Tennessee,” President and CEO Mark Smith said Saturday at the grand opening.
Company officials said legislative proposals in Massachusetts would ban them from manufacturing certain weapons. The Democratic state is known to have led some of the nation’s strictest gun laws.
Gun maker Smith & Wesson has opened a new $125 million headquarters in Tennessee after moving from Massachusetts
Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchel (left), Si Robertson of Duck Dynasty (center) and Rep. Tim Burchett (right) helped cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony. Smith & Wesson chose Tennessee because they wanted to move to a gun-friendly state
Smith said the Voluntary State’s welcoming regulatory environment and close collaboration with the state government was a crucial part of the plan to relocate.
He said the new facility will create hundreds of jobs.
Tennessee has moved under Republican leadership to loosen gun restrictions in recent years.
In 2021, the state passed a law to allow most adults 21 and older to carry handguns without a permit that requires first clearing a state-level background check and training.
Smith & Wesson manufactures AR-15-style rifles, the weapon of choice in many of America’s deadliest mass shootings.
Smith & Wesson manufactures AR-15-style rifles (pictured) used in many of America’s deadliest mass shootings
A 2022 House Oversight Committee investigation found that five major U.S. gun makers: Daniel Defense, Bushmaster, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc., and Sturm, Ruger & Co., had a combined total of $1 billion in revenue over took 10 years. of the sale of AR-15s.
Smith & Wesson, saw sales rise from $108 million to $253 million over the same period.
Smith was slammed for refusing to appear at this House hearing on assault rifles.
President Joe Biden has called on Congress several times to pass an assault weapons ban.