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Old 06-22-2018, 02:21 PM
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Default Exodus: Fleeing Oppression

Firearm Manufacturers Flee to Gun-Friendly States
by Guy J. Sagi - Monday, June 18, 2018

Firearm manufacturing is migrating from the northeastern United States, where the nation’s concentration of industry originally ensured uninterrupted supplies of steel, established distribution routes and a skilled work force. The flight isn’t exclusive to that region, though. Gunmakers are moving to warmer and more-welcoming climates—and milder temperatures aren’t the main attraction.

Moves by Remington, Ruger and Mossberg, respectively, largely account for the massive trio of swings, but it’s the medium-size players in the industry—coupled with the hundreds of boutique AR builders that appeared—that add a solid foundation to the trend. Florida yielded 9 shotguns in 2007, for example, but largely due to Kel-Tec, that number was 29,342 in 2016.

Some companies are outspoken and admit that scenery, lifestyle and climate have nothing to do with the move. A letter from Remington Outdoor Company’s then-CEO George Kollitides sent to New York state officials—according an article in the Nov. 14, 2014, New York Times—explained the company was opening a new plant in Alabama rather than expanding its Ilion, NY, factory because of “…state policies affecting use of our products.” The SAFE Act, enacted in 2013, impacted semi-automatic rifle sales and ownership in New York.

The same law caught the attention of Kahr Firearms Group, although its move from New York surfaced earlier. “We’re looking for a more-friendly environment for our business,” Frank Harris, Kahr vice president for Sales and Marketing at the time told the Associated Press. The company, which was considering expansion in New York, is now headquartered in Pennsylvania.

Beretta’s moving its production to Tennessee and Weatherby recently announced it was pulling up its California roots—73 years’ worth—and commencing production in Sheridan, WY. It will transplant between 70 and 90 jobs.

Kimber has been a staple in Yonkers, NY, for years, but it also recently announced relocation plans. Its new, state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Troy, AL, is scheduled to open next year.

Magpul left Colorado after the state enacted a law that made magazine capacity in excess of 15 rounds illegal. The economic loss of Magpul’s move was keenly felt when the company landed a sizeable contract with the U.S. Marine Corps that caused it to increase staffing to 385—nearly double the number it employed before the move—and run a second shift in its new Cheyenne, WY, plant.

Magpul Chief Executive Richard Fitzpatrick issued a statement in 2014 that explained, “Moving operations to states that support our culture of individual liberties and personal responsibility is important.”

Shooting Illustrated | Firearm Manufacturers Flee to Gun-Friendly States
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Old 06-22-2018, 03:11 PM
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Its really just a matter of time before the rest abandon their traditional locations. As legal compliance grows more and more difficult, you just have to relocate to survive
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Old 06-22-2018, 03:50 PM
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Taurus firearms has moved from Miami, FL to Bainbridge, GA.
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Old 06-22-2018, 03:56 PM
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The way it's going they will have to relocate. A lot of local gov's enacting laws to prohibit gun shops in town. Even one here that banned them and there isn't one
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Old 06-22-2018, 04:04 PM
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Companies are often moving from high cost to lower cost locations. Dollars only, couldn't really care less about who likes our products, but it sounds good. For their part, states and municipalities are "competing" for importing jobs by using your tax dollars to build facilities (roads, factories, ports, bridges) and tax free zones for companies, particularly manufacturers. In all cases, the actual expansion or new location is predetermined for labor or raw material reasons, but concessions (free gifts for doing what you were going to do anyway) can be had from any government by pretending there are competing locations. Politicians like it because it looks like they are "bringing in jobs". Taxpayers cannot interfere as they have sued to prevent this, but US Supreme Court ruled that taxpayers have no standing, outside of voting for their representatives in how tax dollars are spent. See DaimlerChrysler Corp v. Cuno - out of Ohio for one example.
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Old 06-22-2018, 04:16 PM
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When Beretta decided to move all of its production facilities out of Maryland, I don't remember there being a smidgen of concern expressed by the Maryland politicians that a lot of hardworking, taxpaying persons were going to lose their jobs. I was still working in Maryland then and I think I would have heard something on the news when I was commuting if they had, but I don't remember hearing anything of the sort.
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Old 06-22-2018, 06:24 PM
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Default We welcome industry.....

Our area (Berkeley County) is growing like super weed after years of growing like a proverbial weed. We welcome industry with Boeing and BMW FN has a factory in Columbia. BMW has had a full car plant in Spartanburg for years now.

We'd LOVE to have any manufacturer, especially a gun manufacturer here. Please consider us.

Only one problem. Be prepared to train hirees because many people don't know which end a of a ruler to use.
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Old 06-22-2018, 06:53 PM
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Alotta people here are single issue voters. 2A, and I figure it's a pretty good barometer for the rest of things.

The business world runs on profit. An equally important barometer.

On the other hand we are their customer base, and some are investors here too.

I figure the 2A aspect is good for business and moving to a gun friendly state will get some pride in their workmanship.

Win Win. and who wants to live up north anyway?
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Old 06-22-2018, 07:23 PM
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Alotta people here are single issue voters. 2A, and I figure it's a pretty good barometer for the rest of things.

The business world runs on profit. An equally important barometer.

On the other hand we are their customer base, and some are investors here too.

I figure the 2A aspect is good for business and moving to a gun friendly state will get some pride in their workmanship.

Win Win. and who wants to live up north anyway?
it has some merit ...
I always start the screening on the 2A issue first. Its the easiest way to thin the herd in any cycle. If they dont trust ya with a gun, you dont trust em with authority of office.
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Old 06-22-2018, 07:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HOUSTON RICK View Post
Companies are often moving from high cost to lower cost locations. Dollars only, couldn't really care less about who likes our products, but it sounds good. For their part, states and municipalities are "competing" for importing jobs by using your tax dollars to build facilities (roads, factories, ports, bridges) and tax free zones for companies, particularly manufacturers. In all cases, the actual expansion or new location is predetermined for labor or raw material reasons, but concessions (free gifts for doing what you were going to do anyway) can be had from any government by pretending there are competing locations. Politicians like it because it looks like they are "bringing in jobs". Taxpayers cannot interfere as they have sued to prevent this, but US Supreme Court ruled that taxpayers have no standing, outside of voting for their representatives in how tax dollars are spent. See DaimlerChrysler Corp v. Cuno - out of Ohio for one example.
Absolutely true, the majority of the motivation is financial. Of course it takes a pretty financially unfavorable climate to make it worthwhile to go to the expense of relocating a manufacturing operation. One other very important thing to note is that a lot of these same anti-2nd amendment locales - and their lawmakers - are also very anti-business in terms of taxation and regulation.

Perfect example: Seattle WA. In the last year they have passed additional taxes on guns and ammo - which effectively drove all sales of both outside the city limits. At the same time they have some of the most stringent environmental regulations in the country (particularly stormwater management) - so strict in fact that for all practical intents and purposes they bar any and all manufacturing operations from starting up there. They have also passed a $15 minimum wage driving up the already high cost of labor, and to top it all off, most recently they passed a $275 per employee tax on all businesses.

So how many manufacturing plants or jobs will this combination of things attract or create? The obvious answer is LESS than zero - actually a negative number. Any company that can will be packing up and leaving Seattle - just like the gun and ammo sellers have been doing.

What do these business UN-friendly large cities (who often have a voting bloc large enough to control their entire state's political direction) do to address the erosion of their tax base caused by their anti-business policies? They get the SCOTUS and Congress to force internet retailers (operating in other, more business friendly states) to start collecting their exorbitantly high sales taxes for them on all sales made to their citizens, and force the retailer to forward that money to their state coffers.

The ironic thing is that many of these same states are whining and crying about unfunded mandates by the Fed for things like immigration enforcement. But at the same time they are encouraging the Fed to put these kinds of burdensome unfunded mandates on private business.

Much like the old 70's Seattle billboard
Will the last person (business) out of WA (MA, NJ, NY, CA, etc.) please turn out the lights....

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Old 06-22-2018, 08:34 PM
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It wouldn't hurt my feelings if Smith & Wesson decided to move to a more gun-friendly environment either. There is a lot of tradition with them in Springfield, but from what I see Massachusetts is not a gun-friendly environment at all. Let them move south to a friendlier area and the hell with tradition.
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Old 06-23-2018, 11:31 AM
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I think S&W is the next "shoe to drop". They are living in "enemy territory" in Massachusetts. Yep, I am biased, southerner here and love seeing these old companies move south. I think in 10 years, all major US manufactures will be conducting business in "friendly territory". Its a huge move when you have employees who have been with your company for decades. "Come on down, boys".
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Old 06-23-2018, 12:08 PM
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Didn't Colt supposedly "relocate" once to the Southeast?

I kind of remember they put a Colt awning on a building at that was it.
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Old 06-23-2018, 12:22 PM
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It's not only the firearm companies that are boarding the "Exodus" (great movie BTW) a lot of us "left coasters" are looking to cash in on our inflated property values and moving a state or two eastward. (Idaho and Utah look better and better every year to me)
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Old 06-23-2018, 12:45 PM
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I bet my little town would welcome S&W with open arms. Maybe not if we had to put in another stop light 4 is enough.

We feature in town trout fishing and wild life viewing. Friendly people, guns very welcome. Hard working honest people.
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Old 06-23-2018, 12:56 PM
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It's not only the firearm companies that are boarding the "Exodus" (great movie BTW) a lot of us "left coasters" are looking to cash in on our inflated property values and moving a state or two eastward. (Idaho and Utah look better and better every year to me)
I did the same thing when I left Maryland. One night I was watching "Desperate Housewives" and the Taco Bell commercial came on and said, "Make a run for the border," so I did and didn't stop until I got to Pennsylvania.
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Old 06-23-2018, 06:28 PM
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I bet my little town would welcome S&W with open arms. Maybe not if we had to put in another stop light 4 is enough.

We feature in town trout fishing and wild life viewing. Friendly people, guns very welcome. Hard working honest people.

About 1/2 mile from my house is a closed GM warehouse that would have more than enough room for all of S&W's firearms operations. Next to it is a power substation and of course a rail head.



I'd consider coming out of retirement...
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Old 06-23-2018, 11:46 PM
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It's not only the firearm companies that are boarding the "Exodus" (great movie BTW) a lot of us "left coasters" are looking to cash in on our inflated property values and moving a state or two eastward. (Idaho and Utah look better and better every year to me)
The people on the 'Exodus' were not welcome in the land they were going to. We would welcome any gun concern with open arms and celebration. More like those guys that were able to jump the border between East and West Berlin before they threw up 'The Berlin Wall'.
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Old 06-23-2018, 11:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Bkreutz View Post
It's not only the firearm companies that are boarding the "Exodus" (great movie BTW) a lot of us "left coasters" are looking to cash in on our inflated property values and moving a state or two eastward. (Idaho and Utah look better and better every year to me)
The people on the 'Exodus' were not welcome in the land they were going to. We would welcome any gun concern with open arms and celebration. More like those guys that were able to jump the border between East and West Berlin before they threw up 'The Berlin Wall'.
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Old 06-23-2018, 11:59 PM
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If I owned a business, I don't care what kind, I would not continue to operate that business in a state that was opposed to my business. Why would anyone? Not when there are plenty of states that will welcome them, and have lower costs of operation as well. It's a good move all the way around, except of course for the former employees who lose their jobs...and they should express that at the polls.
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Old 06-24-2018, 12:03 AM
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Buck Knives moved from CA to Idaho.
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