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Mayor John Stephens of Ilion, New York, recently spoke on Fox Business‘ “The Bottom Line” about the departure of the iconic gun manufacturer Remington.
After over two centuries in New York, Remington is relocating to Georgia, taking approximately 300 jobs with it.
This move comes in the wake of New York’s 2021 gun liability law, which seeks to punish gun makers for the criminal actions of third parties.
During the interview, Mayor Stephens expressed the deep impact of Remington’s exit on Ilion.
“Illion is Remington and Remington is Ilion, and the financial loss is huge,” he said, highlighting the significant emotional and economic toll on the town.
Stephens noted the historical and nostalgic loss as a greater burden. He shared a personal connection, mentioning his father’s 37-year career at Remington.
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“I think nostalgic and historic loss is a bigger burden to bear for us,” he explained. “I have lived here my entire life, my dad retired from there with over 37 years. So that’s a lot of what people are feeling is that loss of an identity…”
Generations have worked at Remington, making its departure feel like losing a family member.
That said, Stephens emphasized the absence of anger among the townspeople, despite the longstanding fears of Remington leaving for better 2A conditions elsewhere.
Stephens, a retired firefighter, dedicates most of his time to finding a new use for the Remington facility. He is working closely with county, state, and federal officials on this effort.
Fox Business host Dagen McDowell commended Mayor Stephens for his dedication and encouraged people to visit Ilion, acknowledging the town’s resilience and spirit in the face of adversity.
How do you think the departure of a long-standing company like Remington affects a small town’s identity and economy? More importantly, do believe Ilion will recover?
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Who really cares about Ilion. The state brought it on them.
It boggles the mind that politicians cannot see the truth about what STUPID laws do to entire communities.
CRIMINALS DO NOT OBEY THE LAWS.
Passing new laws ONLY HURTS THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY BEING DECENT CITIZENS.
Going after the manufacturers is as stupid as defunding the police, declaring gun free zones that are not defended by actively armed people (Airport and Courthouses only work because of the Armed personnel, Schools and Shopping Malls don’t), not prosecuting shoplifting rings, or rioting and not allowing law abiding citizens to protect themselves. Clearly the laws aren’t working.
The loss of Ilion goes beyond the factory or its workforce and extends out to the places they eat, shop, and entertain. All the businesses of Ilion will take the hurt.
The politicians care only about their own interests, please vote for sanity when it comes along. Vote for Engineers, Accountants, Anybody but a liar oddly spelled “Lawyer”.
Side note: The true culprit of mass shootings is the tyrannical Pharmaceutical Companies. Without exception every instance occurred AFTER the shooters had gone OFF the meds prescribed by the drug dealers, I mean psychiatrists. It is presently part of ALL MEDICAL TRAINING that, “They need to be on meds”, and not just one but a “Cocktail “ of them. And big Pharma KNOWS the meds cause it and they incentivize prescriptions paying bonuses for higher numbers of prescriptions.
If the state thinks so little of its citizens, their employers, and the town’s economy why should I care about New York, its citizens, and its economy. This is an offhand example of why we have the electoral college, the big city gets its way and the rest of the state suffers.
Simple do not sell firearms or service them in these states, do no supply their law enforcement, simply said go F yourselves, you are on your own.
That’s what Ronnie Barret did when he moved from Kalifornia to Tennessee.
I agree with denying firearms to law enforcement as a lesson, but not selling to the citizens just denies them their 2A freedoms, such as they exist. Punishing rural pro-2A folks because of big city liberals makes no sense.
“P” on the state of new york. the state AG and manhattan DA is after Trump. new york loves hillary, the cuomos, obnoxious schumer, and their current lunatic governor. bodega owners who defend themselves, or subway passengers who defend others, are charged with murder or homicide. does anything else need to be said? richard s.
This is just the beginning of anyone in the firearms or related industries moving to more friendly states and locals.
The crazy “gun control” folks pushed the dagger through the heart of a great community. Will they enjoy their accomplishments?
Not sure how good of a location they picked but they needed to move.
I have zero sympathy for Them! I’ll bet the Majority of Them Support New York’s BS Anti-Gun Laws!
No, IIIion will become like every other town/city interdependence on a major manufactory, a ghost if it’s former self.
The Auto towns, Detroit, Flint, Pontiac, The Steel towns, Gary IN, Pittsburgh area, all in the Name of political agenda
Likewise my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio. As the story went; “the new owners stripped and sold off all the assets of the Sheet & Tube, then filed for bankruptcy and took HUGE tax write-offs. Since they also had steel interests overseas, they eliminated their American competition.” You could not buy a job in Y town after steel left. high school and college graduates left for jobs elsewhere. Billy Joel sang the song, “Allentown.” I hope you listen to it if it is new to you, or even if you have not heard it in a long time. it could just as easily been Y town or any town where industry left. richard s. (formerly from poland, ohio)
better idea would be to kick the state out of ny