A little over a year ago, we covered a sad story coming out of the small town of Ilion, New York, located roughly in the center of the state. Since 1828, the town had been the home to Remington Arms, one of the most venerable and popular firearms manufacturers in the nation. But last year they announced that they would be going into bankruptcy and closing their doors, following years of high taxes on top of anti-gun rhetoric and policy from the state government and expensive, frivolous lawsuits being brought against them. They had already moved two of their largest production lines to Huntsville, Alabama, a city that welcomed not only the many jobs they brought with them but the rich, pro-Second Amendment culture they embraced. Other parts of their operation were relocated to Tennessee.

This week, the company announced that they will be finishing their “escape from New York” once and for all. The corporate headquarters and the last remaining production lines will be setting up shop in LaGrange, Georgia, located to the southwest of Atlanta. Just as it was with Huntsville, LaGrange is ready to welcome Remington, its products, and the 800 jobs that will be created there over the next few years. And another community in tax-heavy New York will be left effectively as a ghost town. (CBS News)

Gun maker Remington Firearms will move its headquarters from Ilion, New York, to Georgia, with plans to open a factory and research operation there.

The company announced Monday that it would invest $100 million in the operation in LaGrange, Georgia, southwest of Atlanta, hiring more than 800 people over five years.

It was not immediately clear what effect the transfer would have on Remington’s operations in New York and Tennessee. The company owns the parts of the former Remington Outdoor Co. which make rifles, shotguns and some handguns after the former parent auctioned its assets in pieces last year during a bankruptcy proceeding in Alabama.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued a statement praising Remington and the rest of the firearms industry for all of the jobs and wealth they create. He also declared that he is already the owner of some of “Remington’s fine products” and that he’s excited to welcome them to the Peach State.

As I’m sure I’ve mentioned here in the past, this story brings out some conflicting emotions in me. As a child, I grew up in a farming township roughly ten miles away from the Remington factory. I used to ride my bicycle past there on a regular basis. Remington was the heart and soul of Ilion and some of the surrounding villages. Everyone either had family members or friends who worked there or knew people who did. And yes, most of us grew up with some of Remington’s firearms in our homes. My very first gun at age eleven was a Remington Arms .22 caliber, bolt action long rifle.

With those memories still stuck in my head, it makes me sad to see them leave and watch the upstate economy fall further behind. But what else was Remington supposed to do? For decades, the growing anti-gun environment in New York politics had made life there for the company almost impossible. Politicians would regularly thank Remington in private for all of the jobs and prosperity they provided while publicly villainizing them for “killing babies” and pushing “weapons of war” into the public. The business taxes in New York are through the roof and they were constantly beset by lawsuits.

Something tells me that everyone associated with Remington will find a much more welcoming environment in Georgia. And they will continue to manufacture their various lines of long rifles and handguns just as they always have. As for New York… I suppose there’s always another federal assistance program in the works.