At a time when multiple U.S. states want to shutter the Second Amendment and eradicate the right to keep and bear arms, at least one bucks the trend by welcoming businesses that align with the American tradition of firearms.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) led the charge last week when he cut the ribbon for Helena’s ultra-modern Ultimate Defense Technologies headquarters. Under his first-term leadership, the Treasure State now ranks fourth as the most gun-friendly in the Union, and attracting more such businesses will undoubtedly follow.
After his election to lead the state, some of his first acts were to enact constitutional carry and prohibit agencies from supporting any federal effort to undermine Second Amendment rights.
Ultimate Defense Technologies joins over 150 other firearms-related businesses in Montana to create the highest per capita concentration of the industry in any of the 50 states.
The enterprise, founded in the United Kingdom, will employ nearly 90 Montanans. Gianforte lauded the state’s culture, which attracts business across its borders.
“Thanks to our pro-business, pro-jobs policies and proud Second Amendment heritage, businesses like Ultimate Defense Technologies are choosing to relocate to Montana. We’ll continue to recruit firearms and ammunition businesses to the Treasure State to create more good-paying jobs.”
The company pulled up stakes in Arizona, which has recently taken a decidedly anti-Second Amendment approach to firearms, and moved on to greener pastures.
The move is similar to the more seismic relocation of the venerable Smith & Wesson company, which abandoned Massachusetts last year after over a century and a half of conducting business there when the Bay State became hostile to gun rights.
Smith & Wesson now calls Tennessee home.
Ultimate Defense specializes in weapon safety systems. Co-founder Neil Oakshott explained that he was driven to act after a neighbor in the U.K. accidentally discharged her handgun in her residence as she removed it from the holster.
Oakshott recalled, “I started thinking about how we could make guns safer but instantly available in a time of need. And the number of injuries from misuse of firearms and instances of theft was concerning to us.”
The system employs tags, rings, cards and/or wristbands to enable secure access to a weapon through RFID technology. He told the gathering in Helena last week that he was impressed with the commitment the state government has to protecting Second Amendment rights and providing jobs for its good citizens.
There is also a drill-proof backup lock through which the weapon may be accessed. The unit features an additional hidden compartment, which is handy for valuables.
The futuristic design is engineered to fit the most popular modern firearms and may be mounted virtually anywhere in the home, office or even vehicle.
Oakshott declared that Montana invested in securing his company’s relocation northward and that the move would be advantageous for all involved. “We want to give people careers, and we want to work with people that are often overlooked in society, like veterans and people with special needs.”
The company projects further expansion into the safe storage and instant access niche, which is growing along with the current boom in firearms sales.
What is readily apparent is that Gianforte’s forward-thinking approach to luring Second Amendment-related businesses to Montana is paying dividends for his constituents and the gun rights community as a whole. It is entirely conceivable that, as more radical states solidify their opposition to the industry, those businesses that have dug in and resisted will instead decide that it’s time to plant their flags where they know they are welcome and appreciated.
And Montana is poised to rank at the top of the list of potential destinations.
They say the first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one.
Well, the Pew Collectors Anonymous is your way of admitting you have a problem buying guns but you have no intentions of solving that problem, because Pew Collectors Anonymous isn’t about solving a problem; it’s about embracing it.
So be sure to hit the link above and grab your Pew Collectors Anonymous T-Shirts, Hats, and Drinkware.
Click below to purchase.
