Remington CEO Confirms NY SAFE Act Was the Reason the Company Expanded in Alabama

It’s no secret that gun makers are increasingly leaving states that have strict gun control laws for “greener pastures” in more gun friendly states.

Remington is one such company. Remington announced earlier this year that they would not be expanding their New York operations, but would instead be heading to Alabama.

Many guessed that the move was a response to New York’s passage of the SAFE Act following the Sandy Hook shooting.

Now, Remington’s CEO is confirming that is exactly one of the primary reasons the company decided against expanding in New York.

According to the New York Daily News:

The company says one reason behind its decision to open a new plant in Alabama rather than expand in New York was “state policies affecting use of our products,” Remington Outdoor Company CEO George Kollitides wrote to some upstate officials Oct. 20.

The statement was taken by some as a direct shot at a tough gun control measure enacted by New York in early 2013 in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings.

Indeed, one part of the gun control measure, also known as the SAFE Act, banned AR-15 rifles in New York — the very gun Remington made at its plant in upstate Ilion.

Numerous other companies have moved some or all of their operations out of anti-gun states. Magpul and Beretta are two other big names that have done the same.

Source: Guns Save Lives