Many gunmakers have long been based in relatively liberal states, where gun-control efforts have followed recent US gun violence. Some manufactures are picking friendlier states for new investments.
After being targeted for regulation by lawmakers in liberal states, the countrys premier gunmakers are making quiet but bold calculations to move some of their operations out of New Englands Gun Valley and into states they believe will appreciate them more.
Colt, Smith & Wesson, and Remington all built their guns and brands out of New England traditions that go back to the musket-makers that helped George Washington win the Revolutionary War. Second- and third-generation employees dominate the machining halls at sites like Remingtons rifle shop in Ilion, N.Y.
But even as companies like Remington have seen their workforces nearly double amid a gun-buying boom, the positive economic aspects of gunsmithing have clashed with liberal lawmakers who have philosophical problems with the role of gunmakers in Americas significant gun violence, leading to gun restrictions that directly impact production lines in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, and Colorado.
That clash between gunmakers and lawmakers undergirds a massive recalibration of arms manufacturing in the US, with companies like Beretta, Ruger, Remington, Mossberg, Stag Arms, and Magpul making plans to downsize their presence in states that are perceived as unfriendly, while building state-of-the art plants in regions and states with lower labor costs, bigger tax incentives, and, critically, fewer uncertainties about gun-control regulations.
A case in point: Remington is planning to consolidate much of its operations at a new plant near Huntsville, Ala., while trimming as many as 150 jobs at its Ilion plant.
The backdrop is dramatic: Even as America endures what seems like a ceaseless tide of mass shootings, the gun business is booming a rare bright spot in American manufacturing. In that light, states taking a stand against gun proliferation are starting to realize that vilifying gunmakers may come at a heavy economic cost.
By relocating to these states [gunmakers] are moving closer to their largest customer base, lowering transportation costs and increasing flexibility, says IBISWorld gun industry analyst Maksim Soshkin, in an e-mail. Moreover, these regions gun-friendly regulations and environment also reduces manufacturers anxiety about future regulatory burdens and increases the range of products they can sell locally.
Gun Valley has long put anti-gun politicians in a tough spot. Gunmakers pump millions into local communities and millions more into tax coffers. Many of the old plants are community anchors, and union wages (around $17 per hour) are enough for at least some workers to buy a new car every few years. The industry is credited with helping create New Englands middle class as other industries came into Gun Valley basically a precursor to Silicon Valley to take advantage of a labor pool rich in talent and innovation.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation in Newtown, Conn., stated in a 2013 report that Connecticut could lose 1,768 jobs and $463 million in economic activity and business tax revenues if the major gunmakers Colt, Mossberg, and Stag Arms were to leave.
Those figures underscore how gunmakers emerging plans to expand outside of Gun Valley come at a critical time for New England manufacturing.
A year ago, Neil Swidey wrote in The Boston Globe that Smith & Wessons $40 million investment in its Springfield, Mass., plant has very real economic implications for a struggling region. Theres even a chance that the current boom could see guns reprise their role from two centuries ago, powering the growth of other high skill manufacturing throughout New England.
For complete article: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politi...ce-pushing-gunmakers-out-of-liberal-Northeast
After being targeted for regulation by lawmakers in liberal states, the countrys premier gunmakers are making quiet but bold calculations to move some of their operations out of New Englands Gun Valley and into states they believe will appreciate them more.
Colt, Smith & Wesson, and Remington all built their guns and brands out of New England traditions that go back to the musket-makers that helped George Washington win the Revolutionary War. Second- and third-generation employees dominate the machining halls at sites like Remingtons rifle shop in Ilion, N.Y.
But even as companies like Remington have seen their workforces nearly double amid a gun-buying boom, the positive economic aspects of gunsmithing have clashed with liberal lawmakers who have philosophical problems with the role of gunmakers in Americas significant gun violence, leading to gun restrictions that directly impact production lines in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, and Colorado.
That clash between gunmakers and lawmakers undergirds a massive recalibration of arms manufacturing in the US, with companies like Beretta, Ruger, Remington, Mossberg, Stag Arms, and Magpul making plans to downsize their presence in states that are perceived as unfriendly, while building state-of-the art plants in regions and states with lower labor costs, bigger tax incentives, and, critically, fewer uncertainties about gun-control regulations.
A case in point: Remington is planning to consolidate much of its operations at a new plant near Huntsville, Ala., while trimming as many as 150 jobs at its Ilion plant.
The backdrop is dramatic: Even as America endures what seems like a ceaseless tide of mass shootings, the gun business is booming a rare bright spot in American manufacturing. In that light, states taking a stand against gun proliferation are starting to realize that vilifying gunmakers may come at a heavy economic cost.
By relocating to these states [gunmakers] are moving closer to their largest customer base, lowering transportation costs and increasing flexibility, says IBISWorld gun industry analyst Maksim Soshkin, in an e-mail. Moreover, these regions gun-friendly regulations and environment also reduces manufacturers anxiety about future regulatory burdens and increases the range of products they can sell locally.
Gun Valley has long put anti-gun politicians in a tough spot. Gunmakers pump millions into local communities and millions more into tax coffers. Many of the old plants are community anchors, and union wages (around $17 per hour) are enough for at least some workers to buy a new car every few years. The industry is credited with helping create New Englands middle class as other industries came into Gun Valley basically a precursor to Silicon Valley to take advantage of a labor pool rich in talent and innovation.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation in Newtown, Conn., stated in a 2013 report that Connecticut could lose 1,768 jobs and $463 million in economic activity and business tax revenues if the major gunmakers Colt, Mossberg, and Stag Arms were to leave.
Those figures underscore how gunmakers emerging plans to expand outside of Gun Valley come at a critical time for New England manufacturing.
A year ago, Neil Swidey wrote in The Boston Globe that Smith & Wessons $40 million investment in its Springfield, Mass., plant has very real economic implications for a struggling region. Theres even a chance that the current boom could see guns reprise their role from two centuries ago, powering the growth of other high skill manufacturing throughout New England.
For complete article: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politi...ce-pushing-gunmakers-out-of-liberal-Northeast
