Blue collar town rocked as nation's oldest gun manufacturer flees for red state: 'Can't erase history'

 

Remington Arms Company, Inc. in downtown Ilion, New York on Thursday, February 1, 2024. A view of the campus. The nation's oldest gun maker is consolidating operations in Georgia and recently announced plans to close its Ilion factory in early March (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Ilion is a blue-collar village nestled in New York's Mohawk Valley, about 200 miles northwest of New York City. Remington was founded in the village in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington.

Late last year, Remington leaders told union officials that company heads at RemArms, the current version of Remington Arms, had decided to end its New York manufacturing this March. The remaining operations based in Ilion will relocate to Georgia, where company leaders say the firearms industry is supported and welcomed.

Remington Firearms, the nation's oldest gun maker, will move global headquarters to Georgia in a $100 million, 856-job deal.

The news shocked the New York community, as generations of families worked at the factory, and the city even has street names paying tribute to the company, such as Remington Ave. and Armory St.

"We're still blue collar, get our hands dirty in any city, roll up our shirt sleeves and elbows up," Stephens told Fox News Digital. "I have a very big family background here, as do a lot of people my age. You know, great-grandparents, grandparents...I know there [were] employees who were at Fifth and Was a sixth generation employee."

He said the closure in New York is not only a "historical loss", but a "chronic loss".

Remington rifles are displayed during the NRA Annual Meeting and Exposition at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas on May 5, 2018. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Stephens described Ilion as a "pro-Second Amendment community", partly because of its long history with Remington, but also because the area has a culture that promotes hunting, fishing and gun safety.

“From a very young age, I was introduced to firearms, whether it was a shotgun or a rifle or a handgun. You know, maybe it's almost ingrained in you, that gun safety, hunting, fishing – it's A lot of what we do is around here,” he said, arguing that the local area is pro-firearms and firearms safety.

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The Remington plant previously employed thousands of people, he said, down from about 1,500 employees in 2010, when Stephens was first elected mayor. The plant employed about 300 people when business leaders announced it was moving out of New York.

"It's getting less and less, as far as the number of employees is concerned. So you're looking at 300 people who won't work in that factory. So that's 300 people who won't be in the village every time days. They can go out and get a slice of pizza or a vegetable or go to McDonald's and have lunch there. You know, buy fuel or gas when they're in town," Stephens said. Said.

The financial damage from closing the 1.1 million-square-foot facility will be tough, Meyer said, but it won't be as devastating if the plant still employs thousands of people. He said people who work at the plant can find jobs in local distribution and manufacturing centers.

"It's going to be tough for a while. Local businesses will definitely see a slight decline. But again, 300 versus 1,500. It's a little easier to swallow, but it still doesn't make things any easier," he said. , noting that Ilion revolves around people going to "the shop", as the locals call the Remington plant.

Street names in the Village of Ilion, New York, on Thursday, February 1, 2024 reflect the significance of the Remington Arms Company. The nation's oldest gun maker is consolidating operations in Georgia and recently announced plans to close its Ilion factory. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

"This year, we're going to be very strict. It's going to be very strict. But when we started our budget process, which we're finishing up right now... we started with a 30% tax increase, if We had to cover everything that we were going to lose. And through the hard work of me, the village board and our village treasurer, we're looking at something between 2 to 3% as a tax increase, and that's That's without any service cuts," she said.

Village leaders are currently considering options for reconfiguring the massive plant, which sits on 34 acres in the middle of town, with the mayor hoping to accommodate several individual businesses or a large company.

Discussing the city's future, Stephens is calling on Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul to meet with him and other city leaders to discuss finances.

“I need the governor to know. I need our county, our state and our federal elected officials – who all know – I just need them to know that we need financial assistance…Next year maybe. It's going to be the hardest year because it will be, he said, "the first full year, budget year, without that revenue."

Remington, which was sold in 1993, again in 2007 and again in 2020, had struggled with financial troubles in recent years, including filing for bankruptcy in 2018 and 2020. In 2022, the company paid $73 million as part of a lawsuit. The Sandy Hook mass shooting in 2012.

Some Republicans in the state, including Representative Elise Stefanik and State Senator Mark Walczyk, had previously blamed New York's restrictive gun laws for the move.

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The company's CEO said in a statement late last year that they were "excited" to move to a state that accepts the Second Amendment.

“We are very excited to be coming to Georgia, a state that not only welcomes business but enthusiastically supports and welcomes companies in the firearms industry,” RemArms CEO Ken D'Arcy said in a statement. “Everyone involved in this process has shown how important business is to the state and how welcoming they are to all businesses, including the firearms industry.”

Manufacture of small arms in the assembly room of the Reminton Arms Company, August 16, 1917. (Getty Images)

Stephens said some locals reacted "almost without thinking" by blaming New York politicians and laws such as New York's Gun Industry Liability Law for Remington's move, while he said it was a decision on RemArms' part. It was a business move. Liability legislation was signed by former Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2021, allowing gun manufacturers to be sued if they "intentionally or recklessly create, perpetuate, or contribute to violence".

"Do I think the political climate of New York is partly the cause? Yes. Yes, I think. But I think it's probably ... less the cause. The people who currently have ramarms have a Took a business decision. And some of their reasons were OK, some of them I don't agree with. The factory is definitely inefficient for production these days," he said.

Ilion, N.Y., Mayor John Stephens discusses gun maker Remington leaving the state and moving to Georgia on 'The Bottom Line'

Stephens previously told media outlets that Ilion's move out felt like the village was "losing its soul", and detailed to Fox News Digital that the closing would mark the end of a generational line of families working at the shop. It is done.

"I don't think we have this next coming generation. I don't think there were that many of them out there anyway. So I think you're probably looking at people who are maybe 30 or older Which are in the factory now," he said.

Despite the financial constraints and the emotional and historical loss of the plant, Stephens said the city is resilient and remains positive.

"We have to stay positive here and not just in Ilion, but throughout this area. We have to stay positive that we'll be able to attract businesses to use that facility. And again, it could be a big business, It could be a few dozen small businesses that could use the space. And that's our goal, and I'm optimistic and I'm working every day to make it happen."