Gun-friendly states woo firearms makers
Chuck Raasch
USA TODAY.com
February 24, 2013
The effort to attract firearms companies has escalated in the wake of gun-control efforts that followed the murder of 20 children and six adults in December in Newtown, Conn.
States claiming to be friendly to the Second Amendment are trying to poach gun and ammunition makers and related manufacturers from other states, especially those that have passed or are contemplating tougher gun laws.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, this month has written at least 13 manufacturers in states from Oregon to New York saying his state would not impose “unwarranted government intrusion into your business.”
Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., has written manufacturers in New York and Colorado inviting them to relocate. Idaho economic development officials and Mississippi’s Republican speaker of the House also have written similar letters.
“The enemies of freedom are waging an all-out assault on the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which we have sworn to protect and defend,” said Duncan’s letter to George Kollitides, chief executive officer of Freedom Group Inc., whose Remington Arms division has a manufacturing plant in Ilion, N.Y. “At a time when our government is consistently thwarting the ability of individuals to own businesses, voluntarily trade goods and services, and grow our economy, South Carolina is committed to a different story. In South Carolina, we believe in the right to keep and bear arms.”
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