S&W 41, sometimes banned, sometimes not Assault Weapon; Gun safety

Smith and Wesson became an assault weapon manufacturer in WWII, with their submachine guns for use by Marine recons, Army Rangers, and occasionally, Navy Frogmen.  These were low quality, primarily self defense weapons when accuracy really didn't matter, and the only objective was to fire a moderate number of bullets quickly. 

S&W dropped out of the assault weapons area until the mid to late 1960s, when the Model 59 Mark O was developed for the Navy SEALs.  Also called the Hush Puppy, this was a silenced 9mm pistol essentially identical otherwise to the model 59 later sold to police units only in the USA, and then to the general public (but without the silencer).  The Model 59 was the first larger capacity USA semi-auto handgun. The FN-Ingalls-Browning Hi Power or M35 from WWII predated the 59 in regard to the enlarged magazine capacity.  The 59 was more accurate, but distinctly less confortable to use due to grip shape.  However, the 59 also was lighter due to the alloy frame.

Since then, most S&W guns are semi-auto handguns with larger capacity magazines.  They also cross-market with the new Walther company (which is not the same as the original one) for European firearms.  Some of these also are assault weapons, but not "American S&W."

In the past, three US manufacturers had guns that won olympic competitions.  S&W was one of those, one time only, in the free pistol competition.

The Model 41, illustrated here and available at the exhibit, derives from the Walther Olympia pistols, as does the Hammerli 206-212 series.  One of the best of the USA handguns, the model 41 does not have the accuracy, metallurgy, adjustable trigger pull, barrel tuning capabilities, or many other features of the 208 type gun.  In short, it's a very distant second best. 

However, it is an excellent gun, for which replacement parts are available, even though they are not always identical to the original OEM items.

Whether or not the gun is an assault weapon under Highland Park Ban standards depends on tiny differences between variations in the model.  Some would say this is because the ban is so very precise.  Others, because it is too vague to apply to this gun.  In the end, maybe it is banned, maybe not.  Buyer decision, until it becomes a police matter.

The gun is quite suitable for concealment, but is not tiny or light weight.  The old S&W 41 were higher quality and more accurate than the current 41 Custom Shop series.  Only the former, with 5" barrels and no front sight extension will be for sale at this event. 

Special for this event may be sessions in gun safety for kids.  We are trying to make arrangements with the Lake Forest, Zion, and possibly Lake County police departments to see of sessions like this can be provided for kids.  The event itself is open to kids if accompanied by a responsible adult.  These educational segments, if we can hold them, will be in a separate area from the gun sales and purchasable firearms display area. 

Highland Park declined participation in any informational event relating to their assault gun ban or related safety issues quite a while ago, and quite understandably, dropped the gun owner safety programs soon after the assault weapon ban was passed. 

Unfortunately, due to staffing demands, we can not offer the safety instruction events unless one or another of the police departments chooses to provide those.