Nation's Oldest Gun Maker Exits New York After 200 Years
By Jim Morley | Wednesday, 21 February 2024 04:37 PM EST
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Remington, the nation's oldest gun manufacturer, which has been located for more than 200 years in Ilion, New York, will move to LaGrange, Georgia, on March 4.
"Two hundred and eight years of history. Gone, gone," Ilion Mayor John P. Stephens told the New York Times. "Ilion is Remington. Remington is Ilion."
"The history and the nostalgic loss that we're going to suffer is almost, if not bigger, than the financial loss," Stevens added, whose father was an employee at Remington for 37 years.
Remington said it no longer feels welcomed in left-leaning New York. In a Facebook post, the company's chief executive, Ken D'Arcy, referred to Georgia as "a state that supports and welcomes the firearms industry."
"We are deeply saddened by the closing of this historic facility," D'Arcy continued. "But maintaining and operating those very old buildings is cost prohibitive. And New York State's legislative environment remains a major concern for our industry."
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-NY., whose district includes Ilion, released a statement on the relocation and aimed her critique directly at the Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"It is because of New York Democrats' unconstitutional gun grab policies that the oldest gun manufacturer in the country has been run out of the state," Stefanik said. "I have spoken with local officials and Remington Arms union members in United Mine Workers of America, Local 717 about how we must stand up to New York's failed unconstitutional gun bans. Hochul must stop her unconstitutional assault on the Second Amendment now."
Remington said it will invest $100 million in the operation in LaGrange, located near Atlanta, and will hire more than 800 people over five years.
