Okay, this then leads to the obvious question: how do I change it?

I assume the safety is retained in the slide by the firing pin. That is in turn retained by a spring-loaded plunger. That is retained by the rear sight. So to remove the safety do I have to remove the sight, remove the plunger, and remove the firing pin?

Or am I totally out to lunch here?

Edit: yes, I am. Here is a pair of great videos showing exactly what I need to do:


S&W 3RD GENERATION DISASSEMBLY (SLIDE) VIDEO #2 OF 4 - YouTube

S&W 3RD GENERATION REASSEMBLY (SLIDE) VIDEO #3 OF 4 - YouTube

It may be awhile before I get around to this….