Firearms manufacturers need not apply when it comes to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s economic initiatives to attract business to stay and grow in New York state. With millions behind New York’s “START-UP NY” and “Open For Business” campaign, the so-called incentives and friendly economic environment apparently does not extend to the gun industry.
Heavy restrictions derived from the NY SAFE Act have driven Kahr Firearms out of New York to Pike County, Pa., where half the county residents are NRA members and local officials offered a five-year tax break. “We had to look for a more gun-friendly state in the Northeast,” said Justin Moon, owner of Kahr Firearms. “Pennsylvania as a large state is the most gun-friendly northeastern state.”
The new Kahr headquarters will bring about 200 jobs to the area by next year. As Kahr employee Doug Williams put it, “When somebody else is stupid, somebody who’s smart is going to come out on top.”
