Gun manufacturers aren’t able to use guns to fight the coronavirus, but they are using their production plants to create personal protection equipment to aid in the battle.
Fox News reports that gun makers across the country are using their production plants to help provide masks, face shields and other protective gear.
"SIG Sauer, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, and KelTec are among the companies in the firearm industry who have made efforts to fight COVID-19 by making and/or supplying PPE. The donations have been made to first responders such as police, fire, and EMTs, but also to health care professionals in their local hospitals," Eric Poole, editor-in-chief of Guns & Ammo Magazine told Fox News. "The response has been growing among companies as they learn how they can shift their capabilities.”
SIG Sauer has donated nearly 15,000 KN95 masks to over 80 different local law enforcement, EMS, fire departments and medical facilities in New Hampshire, Oregon and Arkansas.
"In the process of preparing our workforce, we were also able to secure enough masks so that we could contribute PPE within the communities where our facilities operate, and our employees live, which allowed us to have the greatest possible impact," Tom Taylor, chief marketing officer and executive vice president at SIG Sauer told Fox News.
SIG Sauer's Oregon-based Electro-Optics division has been 3D printing plastic face shields to donate to Medical Teams International. It will expand donations to local health care workers and hospitals spanning Oregon, Arkansas and New Hampshire over the next few weeks.
Similarly, Smith & Wesson has donated over 5,000 face shields and 12,000 pairs of eye protection to support front line professionals across the nation.
"Ordinarily, our PPE is primarily focused on hearing and eye protection for use in our manufacturing facilities. Because we have an inventory of eye protection – safety glasses – we were able to send 12,000 pairs to front line professionals across the nation," Elizabeth Sharp, VP of investor relations at American Outdoor Brands Corporation, the parent company for Smith & Wesson told Fox News. "In addition, our unique manufacturing capability and expertise in the form of innovative engineers, 3D printers, and special materials, provided us the opportunity to re-purpose a portion of those resources to design and build face shields.”
Sharp told Fox the company is producing 1,000 shields per day for use by employees, the medical community, and first responders, across several states.
Ruger donated resources to hospitals, nursing homes, police, fire, and other first responder departments, including 6,500 surgical masks, 700 Tyvek suits, over 200 N95 masks, almost 5,000 safety glasses and 200 shoe coverings.
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