In this ongoing story of Smith and Wessons major foulup in filing a C&D order on Apex,Brownells etc James Debney, President and CEO of Smith & Wesson apologized to those parties served with a Cease and desist order over the various companies “Dream Gun” project. Debney stated they didn’t fully understand the project.

Here is his apology on behalf of S&W:
I would like to clarify that we fully support the Brownells Dream Guns® Project and we appreciate that it showcases the many ways in which our customers – loyal fans of our M&P brand – can choose to customize their M&P firearms.

Our decision to contact the companies that worked on the project was intended to protect the trademarks that support the M&P brand. When a product bears the Smith & Wesson and M&P trademarks and is purchased new with our lifetime service policy, we want to be sure that the consumer knows it has passed our demanding quality standards.

In our efforts to protect that promise and to preserve the brand that we and our customers cherish, we did not fully understand the intent of the Dream Guns® Project and we overlooked the opportunity to convey our enthusiasm for the creativity and innovation that Brownells and all of the companies involved have demonstrated. We look forward to seeing the firearm on display at the upcoming SHOT Show in January and at the NRA in May.

In large part the blame for this major mistake has been laid at the feet of the companies law firm of Ballard Spahr. No exact details but it appears the law firm may sounded the alarm without anyone checking the facts before acting.

Brownells issued this statement:

I have spoken with James Debney, President of Smith & Wesson, who called me regarding the M&P® Brownells/Apex Dream Gun™,” said Matt Buckingham, Brownells President. “It was a simple misunderstanding about the intention of the project. He made it clear that Smith & Wesson is excited to have their product featured in this fun and unique way. For our part, we are honored to include it in our Dream Gun lineup. Smith & Wesson is a legendary brand in this industry and we continue to be proud partners with them.

Brownells really helped S&W by issuing this statement. It was a very generous thing for Brownells to do and not something you would ordinarily see in this highly competitive business. Of course S&W now has a lot of upset customers to deal with. What is your opinion did S&W do major harm to themselves or will this be a case of forgive and forget?