NY village 'losing its soul' as nation's oldest gun manufacturer flees blue state for Georgia
Remington is the nation’s oldest gun manufacturer
US gun sales surge as Americans take personal safety into their own hands
FOX Business' Madison Alworth speaks to FSS Armory owner Ross Osias about the surge of 'scared,' first-time gun owners purchasing firearms due to a nationwide crime surge.
The Remington gun factory nestled in New York’s Mohawk Valley is ready to shutter its doors and move to Georgia after more than 200 years in the Empire State.
"Two hundred and eight years of history. Gone, gone," Ilion, New York, Mayor John P. Stephens told The New York Times. "Ilion is Remington. Remington is Ilion."
Remington, the nation’s oldest gun manufacturer, told union officials late last year that company chiefs at RemArms, the current version of Remington Arms, made the decision to end its New York manufacturing come March. The remaining operations located in Ilion will move to Georgia, where company leaders say the firearms industry is supported and welcomed.
Residents of the New York village, which is located roughly 230 miles northwest of New York City, are bracing for the manufacturer to officially move, which some say will take part of the town’s identity with it.
A view of the Remington Arms Co., Inc. compound in the middle of Ilion, New York, on Feb. 1. The nation’s oldest gun-maker is consolidating operations in Georgia and recently announced plans to shutter the Ilion factory in early March. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
"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," Jim Conover, a retired Remington employee who began his career there in 1964, told The Associated Press.
A furnace operator and technician at the factory, Frank "Rusty" Brown, told the outlet that he and generations of his family worked at the facility and noted he and his wife will be out of jobs.
Frank "Rusty" Brown poses for a picture at the union office, across the street from the Remington Arms Co. compound, in Ilion, New York, on Feb. 1. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
"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," Brown said. "So it’s a double-hit for me and my wife: two of us out of a job."
SANDY HOOK LAWSUIT: GUN MANUFACTURER REMINGTON REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH VICTIMS' FAMILIES
The closure of the New York location will result in about 300 people losing their jobs in a town of roughly 7,600. The mayor of Ilion told the Daily Mail that the village is expected to lose $1 million in revenue due to the move, in addition to other local businesses taking a financial hit.
''It's like the town is losing its soul. It's almost like losing a family member. That's the thing that people are struggling with, the nostalgia, the history. It feels like we are losing the identity of the town," Stephens told the outlet.
Manufacture of small arms at the Reminton Arms Co. Assembly room on Aug. 16, 1917. (Getty Images)
"I've spoken to a few businesses, that's the part financially that's going to hurt. Even if it's only 300 people, they still buy gas, they still buy shoes. That's going to be a hit to the local businesses," he added.
The company, which was sold in 1993, again in 2007 and again in 2020, was rocked by financial woes in recent years, including filing for bankruptcy in 2018 and 2020. In 2022, the company paid $73 million as part of a lawsuit stemming from the Sandy Hook mass shooting in 2012.
REMINGTON ARMS DECLARES BANKRUPTCY DESPITE SURGING GUN DEMAND
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and GOP state Sen. Mark Walczyk both previously blamed New York’s restrictive gun laws for the move.
"Hochul must stop her unconstitutional assault on the Second Amendment now," Stefanik said in December, according to the Times Union.
Street names reflect the importance of Remington Arms Co., in the village of Ilion, New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Walczyk pinned blame on New York’s Gun Industry Liability Law for pushing the company out of the state. The law, which was signed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2021, allows gun makers to be sued if they "knowingly or recklessly create, maintain or contribute" to violence.
GUN ID LEGISLATION MAY TRIGGER EXODUS OF GUNMAKERS REMINGTON, COLT
The company's CEO said in a statement late last year that they are "excited" about the move to a state that embraces the Second Amendment.
Remington rifles are displayed during the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas on May 5, 2018. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
SMITH & WESSON OFFICIALLY MOVES HEADQUARTERS OUT OF BLUE STATE TO TENNESSEE
"We are very excited to come to Georgia, a state that not only welcomes business but enthusiastically supports and welcomes companies in the firearms industry," RemArms CEO Ken D'Arcy said in a statement. "Everyone involved in this process has shown how important business is to the state and how welcoming they are to all business, including the firearms industry."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS
Remington is not the first gun manufacturer to shutter its doors in the Northeast for states in the South. Smith & Wesson moved from Springfield, Massachusetts, where the company had been located since 1852, to Tennessee last year.