Remington, the nation’s oldest gun manufacturer, was a fixture in New York for more than two centuries. But the venerable company is leaving for the greener pastures of Georgia, and it makes no secret of the reason it pulled up stakes and headed to the South.

CEO Ken D’Arcy explained that New York’s extreme lurch leftward left company officials with no choice but to relocate. He called the Empire State’s “legislative environment” concerning for the entire firearm industry.

The historic plant in Ilion, which was built in 1828, brings the curtain down on many decades of local residents working for the gun maker. One worker for four decades at the Remington facility, Jim Conover, said its departure is far more than simply a business closing shop.

Conover told reporters that when the company shuts its doors for the final time, “it’s not going to be like a facility leaving, it’s going to be like part of your family has moved off.”

Some — but not enough — New York lawmakers realize the tragedy of having part of the community’s fabric ripped away. State Sen. Joseph Griffo and Assemblymen Brian Miller and Rubert Smullen, all Republicans, released a joint statement over the closure.

America’s oldest gun-maker, Remington, to close historic New York factory next month due to high operating costs.

Operations moving to Georgia, a state deemed more firearm-friendly. pic.twitter.com/SfYutDmebq

— Andrew Pollack (@AndrewPollackFL) February 21, 2024

Calling it “concerning and unfortunate,” the trio noted that many local residents are currently employed by the company.

However, they cited “burdensome regulations, crippling taxes and problematic energy and other policies [that] continue to force businesses and companies to flee the state, taking jobs and livelihoods with them.”

Remington’s presence in Ilion, some 230 miles northwest of New York City, will be sorely missed. 

Mayor John P. Stephens told the New York Times, “Two hundred and eight years of history. Gone, gone.” Many jobs are leaving with the moving trucks when they head out of town.

Furnace operator and technician Frank “Rusty” Brown said he and his wife will both be out of jobs. Generations of his family were employed by Remington, but no more.

Brown recalled, “My mom worked there. My dad worked there. My wife works there with me now. My daughter works there with me now. And my son-in-law works there. So it’s a double-hit for me and my wife: two of us out of a job.”

Overall, roughly 300 people out of a town of approximately 7,600 will be unemployed. For New York’s extremists, however, it’s mission accomplished.