Remington, the oldest gun maker in America, is moving from New York to Georgia after over 200 years in Mohawk Valley due to “production inefficiencies.”
The move was criticized by Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, who blamed it on New York Democrats’ gun policies.
“Two hundred and eight years of history. Gone, gone,” Ilion Mayor John P. Stephens said. “Ilion is Remington. Remington is Ilion.”
🚨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
Residents of Ilion, New York, where the plant is located, are saddened by the departure as Remington is a significant part of the town’s history.
“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,” retired Remington employee Jim Conover said.
“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,” United Mine Workers of America Local 717 president Frank ‘Rusty’ Brown said.
“So it’s a double-hit for me and my wife: two of us out of a job.”
Many families in the area have had generations of workers at Remington, and the closure is seen as losing a part of their family.
Residents also fear the economic impact of the plant closure.
