Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. recently announced that it will hold a special meeting of stockholders in December to seek approval to change its corporate name from Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. to American Outdoor Brands Corp. The change only affects the holding company, not the brand name of its guns.
Smith & Wesson's Director of Sales and Marketing, Shaun Phelan, elaborated on the announcement:
“Smith & Wesson Holding Corp., which was formed in 2002, will be changing its name to American Outdoor Brands. We want to make sure that our fans understand that Smith & Wesson Corp., the iconic and treasured firearms company with legendary roots back to 1852 will not change its name. Smith & Wesson Corp. (the company) and its firearms will remain exactly as they are today. Smith & Wesson is one of the greatest American brands of all time, and we wholly intend that it will remain so.”
If approved by stockholders, American Outdoor Brands Corp. will serve as the holding corporation for Smith & Wesson Corp., Battenfeld Technologies, Inc., and Crimson Trace Corp., which represent the company’s firearms, manufacturing services, accessories, and electro-optics divisions. The name change would be effective in January 2017.