US panel subpoenas Smith & Wesson over assault rifle data -report

[August 02, 2022]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Smith & Wesson Brands Inc for information on its AR-15 style firearms sales and marketing after the gunmaker's chief executive refused to appear before lawmakers last month, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

Attendee inspect Smith and Wesson firearms at the National Rifle Association's (NRA) annual meeting, in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., April 28, 2019. REUTERS/Bryan Woolston

The panel, led by Democratic U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney, cited incomplete data and gaps in the company's metrics in seeking documents from the firearms manufacturer, the Post said, citing a copy of the letter notifying CEO Mark Smith of the congressional summons.

Representatives for Smith & Wesson could not be immediately reached for comment. Representatives for the congressional panel also could not be immediately reached.

The panel had summoned Smith along with the CEOs of Sturm, Ruger & Co and privately held Daniel Defense to appear before a July 27 hearing following a string of mass shootings as U.S. lawmakers grappled for ways to address America's gun violence.

Lawmakers pressed those CEOs for details on the marketing of assault-style weapons used in recent shootings at a Texas elementary school, a New York grocery store and a Illinois Independence Day parade.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Bernadette Baum)

[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.