Smith & Wesson celebrated the opening of its new headquarters in Maryville, Tennessee, on Saturday with a grand opening celebration featuring live concerts, shooting demonstrations, and a silent auction benefiting local charities. The event marked the company’s move from Massachusetts, where it had been located for nearly 170 years.
The company sold 2500 tickets to the sold-out event, which took place in a large field adjacent to the brand new facility. The event kicked off with a shooting demonstration by shooting legend Jerry Miculek. Coming off a high from breaking two shooting working records the previous day, Miculek wowed the crowd with an exhibition of his signature speed shooting.
Throughout the day, attendees watched shooting demonstrations by Smith & Wesson ambassador shooters Julie Golob, Travis Kennedy, and Chad Robichaux. Attendees sprawled across the lawn enjoying live music from country singers Josh Turner, Joe Nichols, Travis Denning, and Catie Offerman. Activities included the opportunity to shoot Umarex Airguns, axe throwing, and a cornhole tournament. A tent filled with the company’s firearms offerings gave guests the opportunity to talk with Smith & Wesson employees, and over 20 companies set up booths, including Holosun, Trijicon, and Silencer Central.
Yesterday at Smith & Wesson’s new headquarters in Tennessee, Jerry Miculek set the #NRA World Record for hitting six steel plates with a 9 mm revolver at seven yards after a 1.88-second run. Congratulations, Jerry! @Smith_WessonInc #shootingsports #CompetitiveShooting pic.twitter.com/30xjv6uAEL
— Shooting Sports USA (@SSUSA_Magazine) October 7, 2023
Children were able to play in a designated fun zone with face painting and inflatables, while adults took advantage of the Beer and Bourbon Garden. While a factory tour was not included for those attending the celebration, Smith & Wesson invited the first 500 attendees to shoot in the company’s indoor range.
The company announced in September 2021 that it would be moving its headquarters, distribution, assembly and plastic molding operations from Springfield, Massachusetts to Maryville, Tennessee. The company said it would invest $125 million to relocate its headquarters to the 240-acre campus at Partnership Park North in Blount County, just south of Knoxville. The result is a brand new, 650,000-square-foot facility.
The gun manufacturer, which had been located in Springfield, Massachusetts, since 1856, noted that the state’s legislative proposals would stop them from manufacturing certain weapons.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee attributed the move to the state’s pro-Second Amendment and business stance.
“Our pro-business reputation, skilled workforce, and commitment to the Second Amendment make Tennessee an ideal location for firearms manufacturing,” he said in a statement for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
Smith & Wesson worked with the local government to make the move, entering into a “Payment-in-lieu-of-tax program.” The company will pay 40% of the taxes they would owe if they owned the facility. At the end of the lease, the company will be able to buy the land and facility from the government for $1.
In the deal, the company is required to create 620 new jobs in the area at an average wage of $25.97 per hour.
Smith and Wesson’s move follows a trend of gun companies fleeing to 2A-friendly states.
At least 20 firearms businesses have fled politically liberal states for more pro-gun states in the last decade.
“It’s so exciting to be in such a friendly state,” Julie Golob said of the move. “When you’re constantly surrounded by government and politicians that want to suppress and get rid of the things you make, being here and having such a warm welcome and having so many people excited to have you there, it’s a great, great start to a new era.”
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday before the event, Smith & Wesson President and CEO Mark Smith remarked, “From where I stand, the next 170 years of Smith & Wesson are looking pretty good,” according to The Daily Times.
Despite the state’s pro-gun and pro-business atmosphere, demonstrators marched in downtown Maryville, protesting the company’s relocation to the area. During the event, anti-gun groups flew a banner through the skies that read:
“TENNESSEE’S NEW KILLER BUSINESS GUNS ARE THE #1 KILLER OF KIDS.”
When asked what shooters can expect from the move, Miculek noted that the company will be able to get more firearms to shooters quicker than before. He also hinted that Smith & Wesson enthusiasts may see new products coming from the company. “You might be really surprised what’s coming down the line.”
McKenzie Hanson Bio:
McKenzie first became interested in guns as a teenager when her uncle, a firearms instructor at a large training facility, introduced her to shooting. Once she turned 21, she began training at her local range and bought her first gun to carry for self-defense.
She’s spent the last decade working various jobs in the industry, including slinging guns behind the gun counter and at gun shows, as a range officer, and as a writer and editor for Target Barn. In her spare time, McKenzie likes to shoot USPSA, Steel Challenge, and NRL22 matches as well as train with various instructors to hone her shooting skills.
You can find her work at Target Barn’s The Broad Side blog.
