Remington, America’s oldest gun maker, is poised to leave New York for Georgia in March after more than 200 years of operation in Mohawk Valley.
The firearm manufacturer told union officials in late 2023 of its plans to move from Ilion to Georgia. The New York Times (NYT) reported. RemArms, the current owners of Remington Firearms, cited “production inefficiencies” in a Nov. 30 letter to union officials as the reason for closing the plant, The AP reported.
Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik blamed the move on “New York Democrats’ unconstitutional gun grab policies.”
🚨NY village ‘losing its soul’ as nation’s oldest gun manufacturer flees blue state for Georgia..
208 years of history GONE..
Remington is the nation’s oldest gun manufacturer and told union officials late last year that company chiefs at RemArms, the current version of… pic.twitter.com/RwCJuNP85x
— LD Basler (@ArmaLite15OU812) February 20, 2024
Some New York village residents dread the departure of Remington, recognizing the firearm manufacturer as a piece of the town’s identity and history, The NYT reported.
“Two hundred and eight years of history. Gone, gone,” Ilion Mayor John P. Stephens said, according to The NYT. “Ilion is Remington. Remington is Ilion.”
Generations of families in the area had careers at Remington, and some reflected on their affiliation with the manufacturer, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Jim Conover, who packed guns at Remington starting in 1964 and retired 40 years later as a production manager, compared the gun factory’s move to the idea of losing a part of his family. (RELATED: Another Fast-Food Chain Closes Blue City Restaurant Over Rising Crime)
“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,” Conover said, according to The AP.
Ilion residents also expressed fear of revenue loss as the plant closure approaches.
“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,” said Frank ‘Rusty’ Brown, president of the United Mine Workers of America Local 717, according to The AP. “So it’s a double-hit for me and my wife: two of us out of a job.”