I'm sorry for you personally. Yes it would have been nice had S&W thought of that since it was just a model # thing.
It's too bad that Californians elected those anti-gun representatives. I don't feel however that the rest of the country needs to kowtow to CA laws. To make all products to the lowest common denominator would mean that California or Maryland would control the gun market. To that end I take some pleasure in buying models not approved for CA.
Now that I think about it, it's quite appropriate that the gun isn't approved in CA and I hope they don't even try to get it approved.
No personal offense meant to you, Fuz.
I would never be offended by anyone being glad they don't have to put up with California's bad laws. I would just love to have our Attorney General have it rubbed in his anti nose, that a gun touting our individual rights, had to be approved by his office.
I live in what is known as the most conservative county in the country, but it is like an island, or a landlocked country within some other foreign country.
More of us need to take a friend shooting. Almost 15 years ago, I took an anti-gun coworker of mine shooting. I don't remember how I convinced him to go. He was anti everything, anti-gun, anti-religion and vegetarian. After we went shooting a few times, he started buying guns (against his girlfriends wishes). Now he's a cop at one of our state parks and loves his guns.