It looks like the New York SAFE Act is yet again the blame for
Remington Arms laying off an additional 126
workers in Illion, New York this week. This is addition to the 105 workers
who were fired last August. Remington was ready to invest a lot of money into
the company in upstate New York until Cuomo and New York State Democrats
decided to really push the new anti gun control law. People that are opposed to
the NY SAFE Act believe that Cuomo forced this law into fruition as an attempt
to seek the White House in 2016. Remington has been apart of New York State
since 1816 but since August, Remington has moved most of its operations to
Alabama. One of the main reasons for the move to Alabama was the fact that the
NY Safe Act disallows the use and manufacturing of AR-15
rifles in New York state. AR-15 rifles are were the guns that were produced
at the plant in Illion, New York. Assemblywomen Claudia Tenney who represents
the district where the Remington plant is located said that Remington has not
even given the decency of a phone call when the gun legislation was being discussed.
New Yorker Against Gun Violence Executive Director Leah Gunn Barrett says that
people quickly blame the SAFE Act but in fact this act is keeping guns out of
the wrong hands and is also keeping New York communities safe.
What is funny about the Remington situation is the fact that
the CEO of the Remington, George Kollitides noted that Remington experienced a
period of substantial economic growth before their move to Alabama. Some people
believe that the layoffs and the move to Alabama was just another example of
corporate greed and have nothing to do with the anti-gun control laws in New
York. Alabama has a more friendly “business atmosphere” than New York. Also
Alabama offered a lot to open up operations there. It is believed that a total
of $65.9 million in state and local incentives was promised to Remington for a
500,000-square-foot firearms factory in the northern Alabama city of
Huntsville.
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