Smith & Wesson Joins B&C's 'Trailblazers of Conservation'

Smith & Wesson, a leader in firearms designed and made in the U.S., has joined the Boone and Crockett Club's "Trailblazers in Conservation" initiative to help the hunting community rise to the challenges of a changing world.

If sporting lifestyles - and the conservation successes long funded through hunting - are to thrive in the future, then today's sportsmen must find a way to balance climate change, increased energy development, unmitigated urban sprawl, wildlife disease outbreaks, conflicting policies and a host of other challenges.

Through Trailblazers in Conservation, Smith and Wesson is sponsoring the Club's work for better scientific wildlife management, balanced policies, hunter advocacy and broader public understanding of the applications and benefits of sustainable-use conservation.

"We welcome Smith & Wesson's partnership," said Marc Mondavi, vice president of communications for Boone and Crockett. "This company clearly values conservation and the historic contributions of gun owners through the Pittman-Robertson Act."

Boone and Crockett Club, founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887, and its members were instrumental in lobbying for the 1937 Pittman-Robertson Act. The Act levies a special excise tax on firearms as a funding mechanism for conservation. The federal government collects the taxes from the firearms industry and allocates them to state wildlife agencies for wildlife restoration, conservation and management programs.

The Club also played a vital role in other milestone conservation measures such as the Lacey Act, federal Duck Stamp program, National Wilderness Preserve Act, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, Farm Bills from the 1930s to now, and many others.

Smith & Wesson has a long history of success, too. Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson, both experienced in the firearms trade, formed their first business partnership in 1852. They designed the lever action, patented the rimfire cartridge and introduced the first large caliber revolver. The company's products were carried by the U.S. Cavalry and, thanks to continuing innovations, continue to be popular today for law enforcement, personal defense and sporting purposes.

Paul Pluff, director of marketing communications for Smith & Wesson, said, "Our company is proud of its historic contributions to wildlife restoration and conservation. And we're pleased to take that commitment to another level through this new partnership with Boone and Crockett Club."

Smith and Wesson joins Boyt Harness Co., Buck Knives, Swarovski Optik, Bass Pro Shops, Nosler and Hornady as partners in Trailblazers in Conservation.

Learn more about the Trailblazers in Conservation corporate sponsorship program by contacting Boone and Crockett at (406) 542-1888, ext. 208, or keith@boone-crockett.org.