Gun maker moves into catalogue market

Western goods are seen as a potential big seller

One of the most iconic names in the gun business is branching out into home furnishings and cowboy merchandise.

Smith & Wesson, a name synonymous with handguns and with the American West, has launched its new catalogue range, hoping its brand will help it find new customers.

Crossings, as the catalogues and their accompanying online store are called, is all about clothes, furniture, accessories and ornaments, with a discreet flash of the S&W name on only a proportion of the goods on sale.

The move follows a drastic decline in recent gun sales, following the company's 2000 deal with then-US President Bill Clinton to install trigger locks and other safety features on all its weapons.

At the time, gun rights activists said the company was selling out to people who wanted to regulate firearm ownership.

The catalogues, the company says, "tap into the resurgence of American patriotism with a desire to return to a simpler, home-focused lifestyle, and love of the American West".

Almost nine out of ten Americans, it says, recognise the brand.

Reaching out

S&W, though, says it is not necessarily aiming at the gun-owners' market - nor at its own existing customer base.

"We are broadening our scope into new areas that reflect our American heritage, supporting the values for which the brand stands," said Colton Melby, President of Smith & Wesson Holding, the parent company.

About 70% of the target market were not already S&W customers, he said

"The opportunity to get out and make the name known in different circles, that's what we're after."

The "American heritage" tag means many of the goods available are designed to evoke the Old West, including:

Crewelwork cowgirl pillows inset with beaded studs and faux pearls in black or cactus green. Price: $98

Full grain leather cowboy (or cowgirl) hat "handcrafted in the USA" with a braided band and 3" brim. Price: $59

Star-spangled heart ornaments "handcrafted from blown glass for a patriotic addition to your holiday decorations". Price: $15 a pair

One-of-a-kind genuine cowboy boot lamp "handmade in the USA from a well worn leather boot along with a parchment shade". Price: $129

Leather belt "with diamond shaped buckle, loop and tip and Smith & Wesson logo ornaments in black or brown". Price: $36.

The 151-year history of gun-making will continue, of course - although it remains impossible to buy handguns from the company's website.