Smith & Wesson® Secures Two Texas Law Enforcement Contracts

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Oct. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SWHC), parent company of Smith & Wesson Corp., the legendary 159-year-old company in the global business of safety, security, protection, and sport, announced today that it has been awarded firearm contracts in Texas from the Austin Police Department and from the San Antonio Police Officers Association. Both organizations converted to firearms from the Smith & Wesson Military & Police (M&P) Series.

Austin Police Department

After making the decision to switch over to a standardized departmental side arm, the Austin Police Department began actively taking submissions from a number of manufacturers in the firearm industry.  Once the test and evaluation period had concluded, the agency selected the Smith & Wesson M&P40 polymer pistol as the new standard agency side arm.

As part of the full department conversion, the Austin Police Department ordered 1,775 M&P pistols chambered in .40 S&W. The new side arms are manufactured with standard features, which include three interchangeable grips sizes, ambidextrous controls, and the ability to disassemble the firearm without pulling the trigger. In addition, the M&P40 pistols have been equipped with night sights and three magazines as requested by the department.

"This decision by the Austin Police Department marks the first time in 20 years that the agency has chosen to issue a standard firearm to its officers," said Mario Pasantes, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Global Professional Sales. "Prior to this, officers within the department were able to select from an approved-for-carry list of firearms that included a variety of choices from multiple manufacturers. We view the department's selection of our M&P40 as an endorsement of the winning attributes of the pistol. The Austin Police Department now joins hundreds of other agencies that have selected the M&P for use in the line of duty."

San Antonio Police Officers Association

The San Antonio Police Officers Association has ordered 550 Smith & Wesson M&P15A patrol rifles for individual officer purchase. The Smith & Wesson M&P15A has been custom ordered by the private organization and the rifles are approved for on-duty use. The San Antonio Police Officers Association selected the design specifications of the new patrol rifle and allowed officers the ability to customize their individual firearms by working with Smith & Wesson's specialized services and capabilities. The M&P15A rifles were made available with added features such as engraving, individual officer badge numbers, and other individual officer identification marks.

Pasantes said, "Throughout our company's history, Smith & Wesson has focused its attention on meeting the high performance standards and specialized needs of military and law enforcement professionals. Our law enforcement support services are structured so that departments can hand pick those elements that directly meet the needs and qualifications of their particular agency. As a result, within the San Antonio Police Officers Association, officers were able to customize the M&P15A rifles to meet their personal preferences, while still conforming to the list of standard specifications required by the agency."

Introduced in 2006, the Smith & Wesson M&P Rifle Series has become a premier patrol rifle for professionals throughout the United States. With over 16 different configurations available, the M&P Rifle Series has been selected for service or as an approved-carry firearm by over 425 law enforcement agencies in the United States.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements contained in this press release may be deemed to be forward-looking statements under federal securities laws, and we intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor created thereby.  Such forward-looking statements include those regarding our view that the Austin Police Department's selection of the M&P40 is an endorsement of the winning attributes of the pistol and the structure of our law enforcement support services to allow departments to hand pick those elements that directly meet the needs and qualifications of their particular agency.  We caution that these statements are qualified by important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected by such forward-looking statements.  Such factors include the demand for the our products and services and other risks detailed from time to time in our reports filed with the SEC, including our Form 10-K Report for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011.

About Smith & Wesson

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: SWHC) is a U.S.-based, global provider of products and services for safety, security, protection, and sport. The company delivers a broad portfolio of firearms and related training to the military, law enforcement, and sports markets.  For more information on Smith & Wesson call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com.

Industry Contact: Matt Rice
Blue Heron Communications
(800) 654-3766
[email protected]

Liz Sharp, VP Investor Relations
Smith & Wesson Holding Corp.
(480) 949-9700 x. 115
[email protected]

SOURCE Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation