CEO Ken D’Arcy issued a press release explaining the monumental change. He attributed the relocation to New York’s “legislative environment” that is notably unfriendly to the firearm industry.
Juxtapose that with Georgia’s open arms and healthy respect for the Second Amendment, and the company faced a choice that was not as tough as it should have been.
The closure of the historic plant, built in Ilion in 1828, brings the curtain down on generations of proud New Yorkers who built iconic firearms within its walls.
Mayor John P. Stephens told the New York Times that the loss is devastating for his community. “Two hundred and eight years of history. Gone, gone. Ilion is Remington. Remington is Ilion.
The era drawing to a close began in 1816 when Eliphalet Remington first forged a rifle barrel there.
The town of less than 8,000 residents had 300 of its citizens employed by the facility. Jim Conover retired from Remington after starting his career there in 1964.
He told the Associated Press, “When Remington leaves, it’s not going to be like a facility leaving, it’s going to be like part of your family has moved off.”
Another longtime worker, furnace operator and technician Frank “Rusty” Brown, explained to the AP the impact the plant’s relocation is having on generations of his family who put in decades of service to Remington.
“My mom worked there. My dad worked there. My wife works there with me now. My daughter works there with me now. My second daughter works there with me now. And my son-in-law works there. So it’s a double-hit for me and my wife: two of us out of a job.”
RemArms, which currently owns the facility, pointed to “production inefficiencies” as another reason for uprooting. In a November letter to union management, the expense of maintaining and insuring roughly 1 million square feet of manufacturing space was cited.
Some of the buildings at the site date back to World War I.
New York’s gun regulations are notoriously extreme.
Mike Bloomberg-affiliated Everytown for Gun Safety lists the state as No. 2 in the nation for suppressing gun rights — though the anti-gun organization certainly worded it differently.
New York instituted bans on so-called “assault weapons” and “high-capacity” magazines, gun storage regulations, universal background checks, repressive open carry prohibitions, bans on “ghost guns,” a mandate for microstamping new handguns, and a ban on carry for self-defense on school or college grounds.
This is juxtaposed against the red carpet rolled out by Georgia officials, a state RemArms said “supports and welcomes the firearms industry.”
The new plant will be in LaGrange and feature a factory and research operation.
A trio of New York lawmakers, State Sen. Joseph Griffo (R) along with Assemblymen Brian Miller (R) and Robert Smullen (R), released a statement condemning the political climate that led to Remington digging up roots and heading South.
Calling the decision “concerning” and “unfortunate,” the legislators noted the loss of jobs that could have been avoided without such naked hostility against the weapons industry from their colleagues.
“Unfortunately, like we have seen all too often in New York, burdensome regulations, crippling taxes and problematic energy and other policies continue to force businesses and companies to flee the state, taking jobs and livelihoods with them. We will continue to communicate with state and federal officials and work to help and assist the company’s employees and their families during this difficult time.”
Remington’s move follows a similar trek South by Smith & Wesson, which opened its Tennessee headquarters in October. It was based in Springfield Massachusetts since 1852.
