Remington Arms Company, the nation’s oldest firearms manufacturer, is preparing to shut down its factory in the tiny town of Ilion, New York after more than two centuries in operation. The company’s decision to relocate to the gun-friendly state of Georgia will leave more than 300 employees out of work and potentially destroy a core part of the town’s identity, leaving many pointing the finger at the Empire State’s escalating gun control efforts.
Founded by gunsmith Eliphalet Remington in 1816, Remington Arms quickly became a staple in both the firearms market and the town of Ilion, which flourished around the Remington factory on the banks of the newly built Erie Canal. However, in the 208 years since Remington produced his first flintlock rifle, international competition and government regulation have eroded the company’s bottom line, leading executives to announce a consolidation effort that will relocate the Ilion factory to Georgia in March.
“Two hundred and eight years of history, gone,” lamented Ilion Mayor John P. Stephens to the New York Times. “Ilion is Remington. Remington is Ilion.”
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When the factory ceases operations next month, more than 300 of the town’s 7,600 will be out of work, and an estimated $1 million in revenue will be stripped from local businesses. “It’s like the town is losing its soul. It’s almost like losing a family member,” Mayor Stephens continued. “That’s the thing that people are struggling with, the nostalgia, the history. It feels like we are losing the identity of the town.”
The closure of the New York facility follows a series of hits for Remington in recent decades, which was sold in 1993, 2007, and 2020. Financial woes forced Remington to declare bankruptcy in 2018 and 2020, and a lawsuit settlement stemming from the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting held the company responsible for a $73 million payout in 2022.
In a letter notifying union officials of the closure in November, company owners RemArms blamed “production inefficiencies” and the high cost of maintaining and insuring one million square feet of space across multiple buildings constructed before World War I.
“We are deeply saddened by the closing of this historic facility,” CEO Ken D’Arcy wrote. “But maintaining and operating those very old buildings is cost prohibitive.”
D’Arcy also praised the Ilion workforce for its centuries of loyalty, but voiced concerns about “New York State’s legislative environment.”
In 2021, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo enacted the Gun Industry Liability Law, which allows gun makers to be sued if they “knowingly or recklessly create, maintain or contribute to” violent acts with their firearms. By contrast, the state of Georgia has held itself out as a haven for Second Amendment rights, promising a safer market for companies like Remington.
“We are very excited to come to Georgia, a state that not only welcomes business but enthusiastically supports and welcomes companies in the firearms industry,” D’Arcy said in a separate statement. “Everyone involved in this process has shown how important business is to the state and how welcoming they are to all business, including the firearms industry.”
Remington is not the first historic firearms company to relocate from the northeastern states. In 2023, Smith & Wesson moved its operation from Springfield, Massachusetts (where it had been located since 1852) to Tennessee.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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