Remington Arms hopes microstamping will not push them away
By: Jennifer Lee
Updated: March 27, 2012
Remington Arms in Ilion is reportedly threatening to take their business elsewhere.
A potential bill mandating that all firearms made in the state of New York be microstamped with a unique branding is causing the debate.
Microstamping, in this case, is when firing pins are engraved with an identification mark. So, when a bullet is fired, it's imprinted with that information.
But, it's being reported that Remington Arms says if microstamping is mandated, it can hurt their business.
"This has been here for so long, my father worked there. Other family members worked there. It's just a tradition that went on forever and ever," says Gloria Ford, a Herkimer resident.
Remington Arms employs over a thousand people from the region.
But, after news of possible legislation being passed that would mandate guns to have microstamping, Remington Arms reportedly has threatened to leave the state.
"It does good for the whole Mohawk Valley. People come from all over, even fifty miles away to come to work," says Robert Schultz.
Robert Schultz is an Ilion resident and a former employee at Remington Arms.
He says if microstamping is mandated, it would be too expensive for the company to stay competitive.
"If you kill someone with a knife you don't put a serial number on a knife do you? If someone plans murder they'll take that firing pin out of there or steal a gun," says Schultz.
The microstamping legislation would be a way to crack down on gun-related crimes, according to officials.
Residents say if Remington Arms leaves the area, it would be a ghost town.
"You're going to have a lot of empty buildings and you're not going to have the people that are supporting the businesses that we have now," says Ford.
But, the Mayor of Ilion says this legislation has been introduced before and says he is optimistic that it won't be passed.
"That doesn't necessarily mean that they will pad lock the doors. It can mean a reduction in the workforce and moving product lines within the freedom group," says Mayor Stephens.
