...what has not been mentioned here is that the company who bought S&W from the British parent company was none other than...SafetyLock....the company that designed the IL for S&W in the first place...now do we understand why the majority of S&W revolvers still have The Lock...
The question becomes why Smith has over the last few years started releasing models without the IL. If there was some sort of liability involved this would have never been done... And remember this "lock" doesn't have anything to do with the safe operation of the firearm. It is a onboard "storage lock"...that is it. It isn't like removing the magazine disconnect or pinning the grip safety on a 1911.. If you shoot someone with a gun with the IL removed there would be little liability concern as all you would have to say is that the IL has proven unreliable and as this was defensive firearm you could never take that chance with your life. If however your gun was taken by a child and he shot themselves or another with a gun that the IL had been removed THEN you could have a big problem as it could be argued that if the storage lock had not been removed and used while stored as intended the child would not have been able to operate it...
I have four IL guns...and own them only because these models were never made without them...a 686-7 .38 Super, 357PD .41 Magnum, 357NG .41 Magnum and a 3" 500. The Plug has been installed in the two .41s because they are carried for personal defense. I have Plugs for the other two but have not gotten around to installing them yet and as just range guns don't worry about it too much.
This situation with the IL locking itself reminds me of the situation Remington put itself into with their 600/700 triggers. They knew there was a problem, denied there was a problem and let people die rather than do a recall. Now they have finally after 50 years done the recall. Smith has decided to gamble with the lives of their customers figuring that not many people who carry guns get into shooting, those that do only fire a couple of shots, the likelihood of it being a S&W revolver with an IL is low and lower still that it will be a gun with a defective lock...the odds are low that there will ever be a lawsuit but the fact they know it could happen and do nothing about it is unethical.
...and the sales and loyal customers they have lost has cost them millions.
Bob
