Famed gunmaker Smith & Wesson will leave its historic 165-year-old headquarters in Massachusetts for a new home base in gun-friendly Tennessee, saying proposed legislation in the deep Blue state to ban manufacturing of assault weapons would devastate its bottom line.
The company announced Thursday that it will build a new $120million facility in Maryville by 2023 and eventually shutter the Springfield location that forged famed firearms like the .357 magnum – used by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movies.
However, anti-gun sentiment in the state – sparked by mass shootings involving assault weapons – has been on the rise. The purchase of military-style assault rifles in the state has been banned since 2004, but the manufacturing and distribution of the weapons – which account for 60 percent of sales, according to the company – has remained.
