Smith & Wesson Owner Stands Ground Against BlackRock Queries
- Greatest risk to our reputation is political, company says
- American Outdoor Brands responds to biggest shareholder
Guns in America
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Gunmaker American Outdoor Brands Corp., formerly Smith & Wesson, cautioned its biggest investor Tuesday that one of its greatest business risks was to take political positions unpopular with its pro-Second Amendment customers.
American Outdoor manufactured the firearm that killed 17 people last month at a high school in Parkland, Florida. In the wake of the bloodshed and the opposition it awakened to gun violence, BlackRock Inc., the world’s biggest asset manager, had sent questions to gunmakers concerning the companies’ work on gun safety and its methods for complying with laws and regulations. BlackRock owns 11 percent of American Outdoor.