Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Smith & Wesson Commences Donations to Breast Cancer Awareness Charity

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - Smith & Wesson Corp., announced today that the company has made its first quarterly donation to the Massachusetts Affiliation of Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization through proceeds collected from the sale of the M&P9 JG pistol. The funds donated will benefit breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment.

Smith & Wesson designed the M&P9 JG in collaboration with Professional Shooter Julie Goloski Golob with the intent that a portion of the proceeds would benefit breast cancer awareness. The M&P9 JG is a polymer frame pistol that incorporates several competition-specific features requested by the champion shooter. The full-size pistol is engraved with the ‘Awareness Ribbon' on the slide and is packaged with two pink grip inserts (small and medium) along with the three standard black grip inserts.

"Many of our lives have been touched by breast cancer and Smith & Wesson is very proud to be supporting the Susan G. Komen foundation in order to help support research, increase education and to promote early detection of breast cancer among both women and men," said Tom Kelly, Vice President of Marketing for Smith & Wesson. "As the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, the foundation reaches out to thousands of communities across the globe. Smith & Wesson fully supports these efforts and is pleased to be able to play a small role in the fight against cancer."

Chambered in 9mm, the M&P9 JG features a fiber optic front sight along with a Warren® Tactical rear sight on top of the 4.25-inch barrel. For enhanced durability, the M&P9 JG has a Zytel® polymer frame reinforced with a ridged steel chassis and a through-hardened black Melonite® stainless steel barrel and slide. This combination of features provides unparalleled shootability and dramatically reduces felt recoil. The M&P9 JG has a capacity of 17+1 and is shipped with two magazines. The striker fired action trigger system features a 6.5-pound trigger pull and has been designed with an over-travel stop for enhanced performance. Another distinct feature that separates the M&P line from other polymer pistols is that it does not require the user to press the trigger in order to field strip the firearm.

For images of the M&P9 JG, please email Matt Rice at matt@blueheroncomm.com.

About Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, a global leader in safety, security, protection and sport, is parent company to Smith & Wesson Corp., one of the world's largest manufacturers of quality firearms and firearm safety/security products and parent company to Thompson/Center Arms Company, Inc., a premier designer and manufacturer of premium hunting rifles, black powder rifles, interchangeable firearms systems and accessories under the Thompson/Center brand. Smith & Wesson licenses shooter protection, knives, apparel, and other accessory lines. Smith & Wesson is based in Springfield, Massachusetts with manufacturing facilities in Springfield, Houlton, Maine, and Rochester, New Hampshire. The Smith & Wesson Academy is America's longest running firearms training facility for law enforcement, military and security professionals. For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com. For more information on Thompson/Center Arms, log on to www.tcarms.com.