My guess is that Smith & Wesson is preparing a small single-stack 9mm Para pistol to compete with other such pistols on the market, such as the Ruger LC9, Kimber Solo, Beretta Nano, Kahr PM9, Sig P290, et cetera. I don't think that their Bodyguard 380 did as great as expected; so instead of releasing the "Bodyguard 9," I think Smith & Wesson is going to try to capture an audience by making it part of the M&P line (M&P Shield?). However, I believe that will just be a name; the pistol likely won't resemble either line.
Will they do a good job? Of course that has yet to be seen. So far with the pocket 9mm Para pistols, the two that stand out the most are the Kahr (which has already proven itself) and the Beretta Nano. If Smith & Wesson could make a pistol of the same quality, then they could have a winner. But, like with the Bodyguard 380, I fear that they might be trying to hit the market a bit late.
It would be nice if this Shield was something a bit more unique; maybe something along the lines of the
Heizer DoubleTap? It will be interesting to see what they cook up. It's pretty rare that a gun company releases a teaser video for a gun; whatever this gun turns out to be, I think it's clear that Smith & Wesson plans to do some marketing for it.
