Update On Gun Manufacturers Moving To More Friendly States
BY Herschel Smith
11 years, 9 months ago
After some mind numbing repetition of things we already knew, this Fox Business article does a good job of updating us on the status of things with at least some of the gun manufacturers.
According to a report from the NSSF, Connecticut stands to lose 1,768 jobs, $13.5 million in business tax revenue and $450 million in economic activity if Colt, Mossberg & Sons and Stag Arms move elsewhere.
Overall, the firearms industry accounts for $1.75 billion in economic activity and 7,340 direct and indirect jobs in Connecticut.
“A lot of these manufacturers have called Connecticut home for years, but now that they continue to be vilified, they have to consider if they want to stay,” McGuigan said, adding that local communities heavily rely on many firearms manufacturers.
Stag Arms is one of those companies. Located in New Britain, Conn., Stag Arms has become a well-known manufacturer of modern sporting rifles and employs nearly 200 people. It hired 40 new people last year amid 60% growth, and is working on a one-year backlog of 70,000 rifles. But with the uncertainty there over a potential ban on its products, Stag Arms put further expansion in a fourth factory building on hold.
Would the company consider moving in the wake of a Connecticut gun ban? “Absolutely,” Stag Arms President and CEO Mark Malkowski said. “If the state’s not going to be supportive, we have to consider moving.”
The possibility that Mossberg or Colt would relocate had occurred to me. However, I was unaware that Stag Arms would consider moving. This is a positive sign. I’m also waiting on Magpul to announce their formal plans to relocate, if their words are to be believed.
Bob Owens was first to the report about Remington remaining in New York, and in fact, expanding their production facilities there. This is disappointing to me, and – mark my words – this decision will harm Remington. Just recently it was announced that Remington won an $80 million contract for a new sniper rifle for the U.S. Army.
Big news, right? Well, take a quick look at comments over reddit/guns. No one is thrilled, no one is congratulating Remington, no one is praising the civilian unavailability of this rifle, and no one is willing to pay this price for a weapon like this.
We await decisions by Beretta, Stag Arms, Magpul, Mossberg, Kimber, Springfield Armory, and Rock River Arms. Contact me at any time.
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On March 12, 2013 at 8:13 am, halfdar said:
Just a thought. Historically, Remington’s decision is certainly in keeping with their behaviour so far. Their first big deal was supplying rifles to the North during the Civil war, so it seems to me that gov’t contracts will trump principle in Remington’s case.
Of course, moving the Illion facility would be, er, problematic, and while I cannot really agree with Remington’s arguably unprincipled stance here, business, for the moment anyway, is business.
I have been a Remington owner for a long time, but I recently decided that their product line includes very little now that interests me. Hmm. Isn’t that strange?
On May 27, 2013 at 8:22 am, Wayne said:
I live in Batesville Arkansas. Rumor has it there’s a gun manufacturer looking to relocate here. That’s if the idiots running this town don’t blow it.