The Remington gun factory located in New York’s Mohawk Valley is closing its doors and moving to Georgia after more than 200 years in the blue state.
“Two hundred and eight years of history. Gone, gone,” Ilion, New York, Mayor John P. Stephens told the New York Times. “Ilion is Remington. Remington is Ilion.”
Remington is the nation’s oldest gun manufacturer and late last year the company made the decision to end its New York manufacturing come March.
The remaining operations will move to Georgia, where company leaders say the firearms industry is supported and welcomed.
“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,” Jim Conover, a retired Remington employee who began his career there in 1964, told The Associated Press.
“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,” Brown said. “So it’s a double-hit for me and my wife: two of us out of a job.”
The closure of the New York location will result in nearly 300 people losing their jobs in a town of roughly 7,600, among other local businesses taking a financial hit.
”It’s like the town is losing its soul. It’s almost like losing a family member. That’s the thing that people are struggling with, the nostalgia, the history. It feels like we are losing the identity of the town,” Stephens continued.
“I’ve spoken to a few businesses, that’s the part financially that’s going to hurt. Even if it’s only 300 people, they still buy gas, they still buy shoes. That’s going to be a hit to the local businesses,” he added.
