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Editorial: Smith & Wesson must be feeling lucky � today It's so reassuring to find out Smith & Wesson has returned to the hunt. The Springfield, Mass. handgun manufacturer has relegated Dirty Harry to a has-been, introducing its biggest piece ever - a .50 caliber Magnum monstrosity. The five-shot gat has an 8 1/2 inch barrel and weighs 4 1/2 pounds - a pound more than the relatively puny .44 Magnum packed by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movies. The new rod produces nearly three times the muzzle energy of Harry's handgun, enough power to bring down a charging bear, according to the manufacturer. It seems Smith & Wesson has suffered a decline in sales over recent years due to a deal the company struck with the government in 2000 to install safety locks on all its guns and change marketing practices. Other gunmakers scoffed at the idea and accused Smith & Wesson of selling out. In 2001, the struggling gunmaker was sold to an Arizona company that has promptly abandoned the agreement with the government and adopted a more militant marketing attitude to regain ground with competitors. The fact that the gunmaker suffered in the sales area is not exactly bad news. Despite moving into a new century, and what was hoped to be an era of enlightenment regarding gun laws and the killing nature that accompanies the dreadful things, the fact that Smith & Wesson has created a bigger beast to recover its tarnished name in the gun world is just that - bad news. It's delightful there's a new heater - let's call it a Saturday Night Very Special - the size of a house to be packed around our inner cities. It's nice to know there's a handgun that makes Harry's piece look like a punk. We not only have the new cannon to deal with, but the specter of another Dirty Harry movie looms nearly as revoltingly. Smith & Wesson has certainly made our day. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -