The industrial roots of the northeast and midwest made those regions obvious locations for American firearms manufacturers to grow. But as the politics in states like New York, Illinois, and Connecticut, traditional homes of many gun makers, turned anti-gun, firearms manufacturers are looking for a better America. The Washington Examiner’s Paul Bedard details the moves by seventeen manufacturers to friendlier territory, writing:
Alabama
- Remington Outdoor Company moved much of its production from New York to Huntsville.
- Kimber expanded production to Troy, New York, over Yonkers. It later relocated the corporate headquarters to Alabama.
Florida
- Dark Storm Industries is relocating production from Oakdale, New York, to Titusville, Florida.
Iowa
- Les Baer moved from restrictive Illinois to LeClaire, Iowa, in 2007.
- Lewis Machine & Tool Company left Illinois after 40 years to relocate to Iowa in 2019.
Mississippi
- Olin Corporation’s Winchester Ammunition moved from East Alton, Illinois, to Oxford in 2011.
North Carolina
- Sturm, Ruger & Co. expanded production in Mayodan in 2013.
Pennsylvania
- Kahr Arms moved its headquarters to Greeley, Pennsylvania, from New York after the latter state rushed through passage of the SAFE Act.
South Carolina
- American Tactical Imports relocated 100 jobs and its manufacturing from Rochester, New York, to Summerville, South Carolina, in 2013.
- PTR Industries left Connecticut for Aynor in 2013, where it set up shop.
Tennessee
- Beretta moved firearm production and engineering and design to Gallatin, Tennessee, from Maryland in 2015 over concerns of increasingly strict gun control legislation.
Texas
- Mossberg expanded production in Eagle Pass, Texas, in 2013 instead of growing its New Haven, Connecticut, plant.
- Colt Competition moved from Canby, Oregon, to Breckenridge, Texas, in 2013.
Wyoming
- Magpul Industries left Boulder, Colorado, after the state passed magazine restrictions and moved production to Laramie, Wyoming.
- Weatherby’s Adam Weatherby announced at the SHOT Show in 2018 he was moving the company from California to Sheridan, Wyoming.
- Accessories maker HiViz announced in 2013 it was leaving Fort Collins, Colorado, to Laramie over restrictive gun control legislation.
- Stag Arms announced in 2019 it was opening its new facility in Cheyenne, Wyoming, after leaving its former headquarters in New Britain, Connecticut.
Action Line: If your state’s government is targeting your business with unfair regulations, taxes, or vilification, it’s time for you to look for a better America too. Start your search for a new home with my Super States.
