PTR, Kahr, Mossberg…
…and now Smith and Wesson. They have all departed from firearms restrictive states, and moved their companies to friendlier climes. I recall Beretta the most vividly; how they were welcomed with open arms and tax breaks in Tennessee, all at the cost of well paying Maryland jobs.
Self-inflicted wounds hurt the most. Poetrooper sends.
Smith & Wesson Moving HQ From Massachusetts To Tennessee
By Cam Edwards
From the mid-19th century to today, many U.S gunmakers have called New England home. Storied brands like Colt, Winchester, and Smith & Wesson were all headquartered in “Gun Valley”, a region stretching from central Massachusetts down into Connecticut. Over the past few years, however, the anti-gun politics in those New England states have made the location an increasingly hostile territory for gun makers, and now one of the biggest names in the firearms industry has announced it’s pulling up stakes and striking out for greener pastures.
Smith & Wesson has announced that it’s moving its headquarters from Springfield, Massachusetts to Marysville, Tennessee, investing $125-million in its new property and bringing 750 jobs with them.
“Our pro-business reputation, skilled workforce, and commitment to the Second Amendment make Tennessee an ideal location for firearms manufacturing. We welcome Smith & Wesson to The Volunteer State and are proud this U.S.-based brand has chosen to relocate from Massachusetts. Thanks for your significant investment in Blount County and for creating 750 new jobs,” Gov Bill Lee said.
Earlier this year, the announcement was made that another gun maker, Troy Industries, relocated to Clarksville.Tennessee has become a popular destination for gun makers, with employment in the firearms industry in the state growing by more than 50% in the past five years. But the state of Massachusetts and its anti-gun politicians have also made relocation a pressing concern for many firearms manufacturers, particularly with Democrats trying to impose new bans on the manufacturing of many popular products.
Firearms manufacturers aren’t the only folks voting with their feet to red states. But that’s for another flame war. Thanks, Poe.
For the record, PTR Industries make, well, just as easy to see. This way I can poke a bit at ChipNASA, just because.
Category: "Teh Stoopid", Democrats, Dick Stepping, Economy
Wondering if they provide tours and have a gift shop… asking for a friend.
Moving sale?
*grin*
When I started work in 1970, the company had Colt Police positive .38’s, S&W mod. 10 pencil barrel 4 Inch .38’s and the vault crews had .32 colt autos. Then S&W mod 10’s .38 4 inch bull barrels until 9/11 and then switched over to their S&W 4046 .40 4 inch barrel autos. The a large number of offices around the country switched over to the 4046’s before we did. After I retired in 2007, they went over to one of the M&P models. Two of our gunsmiths/instructors went up to S&W for I think a week to learn how to repair the 4046’s and the guys told me that there were parts and springs popping in the air all over the work area. large number of gunsmiths from different places working on different guns with some working inside carboard boxes to keep parts from going airborne. Since I have small hands, it was kinda rough handling the 4046 so I bought my own and weekends had me shooting at the Freeport PD range out in Freeport LI, NY where I was a member of their range.
WSB (Welcome South Brother) to Messrs Smith and Wesson! Took ’em long enough! We already had the best Warriors, the best Forts, the best Aerial Artillery Platform Bases, The best Floating Artillery Platform Harbors, THE BEST COOKS/FOOD, and the Bestest Lookin’ Females. Now we getting all the best Arms Manufacturers. Take THAT, ‘Cump Sherman…AND sniffy joe biteme. We already built back better. Now, y’all come and take it!
Just had to put two (2), TWO!!! gun pr0n linkys up late in the day, didn’t ya? DIDN’T YA?!?, knowing that I’d get lost over there slobbering like it was pictures of OAM. Thanks…I needed that.
I’ll let Mr. Daniels (Charlie not Jack), along with the CDB, and The Outlaws, speak loud and proud for us Rebels. Will follow that up with a toast of Mr. Daniels’ (Jack not Charlie) elixir to WSB S&W.
Well, it ain’t (God bless) Texas but it’s the Sunny South.
Welcome, y’all.
Damn,
Kinda cool different tech like my Banshee and Bren 2.
Ed is personally responsible for that “FapFapFapFapFapFap-ing” sound coming from my wallet.
A Kriss Vector (2 actually 9 & 45) is thinking about moving in.
Anybody else will just have to wait.
😀
I was happy to see they finally got tired of communist taxachusettes. It is a pity that their revolver section will remain there. I can only hope they are maintaining it until the TN location gets into full production, then they remove the rest from up North. Frankly I am surprised they took this long to make the move. I can’t believe that Remington is still located in NY. IMO the bankruptcy shut down was the premier time to relocate every part of it from there.
I always thought Colt’s myopic insistence on keeping their presence in such a hostile working environment as Connecticut demonstrated a management more interested in style than in substance. Guess I was right.
I’m just a-wonderin’ who we’ll see come down next, my bet is that we’ll only see more outfits join the exodus from the tax-and-spend blue hellholes!
I was stationed in MA back in the 70’s when the sales tax was 6% and the state income tax was ?? (I forget because I never paid it). I purchased a house in Atkinson, NH where there was no sales, income or any other kind of tax except for a very small property tax.
So where did they build a big mall? South of the NH border in Methun, MA. Made sense to nobody north of the border .
My point is, there is nothing new in MA especially taxes. Good for S & W moving.
Kudos to S&W for their move. Tennessee is gorgeous and has much nicer weather than MA.
Would be nice to see them bring back some of the classic revolvers of the past. Ditch the stupid lock system (I refuse to buy any gun that has a lock) and bring back the old “P&R” models (S&W Revolver aficionados will know what I’m talking about 😉 )
I’ve always said “an automatic pistol is a machine but a fine revolver is a work of art.”
S&W is located right around the corner from The Springfield Armory (which has quite the collection of Arms).
Yankee Hill Machine is too.
Connecticut is doing her damned best to kick out gun manufactures. Troy, Marlin, H&R have folded or bought out. Mossberg and Colt are still here for now.
These clowns couldn’t run a frozen banana stand! If it wasn’t for the sweet heart deals Pratt and Whitney, others would probably be out too.
Our new economies will be based on rainbow-flavored ‘…:things’ and interpretive multicultural and gender equality dance performed at state-subsidized coffee houses.
A lot of our citizens are leaving the Bay State as well…for much the same reasons…
Were it not for the deep roots I managed to plant in this socialist paradise I would be joining them I think…my son has already found business to be booming for him in Alabama, the other three kids are still in New York or Massachusetts along with most of my grandchildren…so it is difficult to leave those relationships for fairer climate and friendlier constitutional respect…
Some friends who work at Smith and Wesson will be leaving to follow their jobs I understand, and I wish them well….