Smith & Wesson is trying to sell...

Smith & Wesson is trying to sell a new line of handguns to women, but several leading women’s magazines are refusing to carry the gun maker’s advertisements for the petite “LadySmith” .38 caliber revolvers. “We would not accept that category of advertising,” said John de Holl, director of advertising services for Woman’s Day magazine in New York. Woman’s Day is not alone. Smith & Wesson officials say New York-based Conde Nast Publications, including Mademoiselle, Glamour and Self, and Des Moines-based Meredith Group’s Better Homes & Gardens all have rejected ads for the LadySmiths.