Smith & Wesson sees no big impact from gun ruling

Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. expects only a modest increase in sales as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding an individual's right to own guns for self-defense.

But a spokesman for the Springfield-based gun maker says today's high court decision sends a long-awaited and unequivocal message that law-abiding American citizens have the right to own firearms.

The more than 150-year-old company relies on the commercial market for 75 percent of its sales.

The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. (AP)