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Remington Firearms relocating HQ from New York to Georgia

A Remington rifle and handgun were on display at Chuck's Firearms in Atlanta on February 13, 2018. RemArms LLC announced it is moving its headquarters from New York to Georgia. File photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE

Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Gun manufacturer Remington Firearms announced Monday it will relocate its corporate headquarters from New York to Georgia with plans to build a $100 million manufacturing center in the state.

The arms maker, which owns some of the assets of the former Remington Outdoor Co., said it will build an advanced manufacturing operation and establish a "world-class research and development center" in LaGrange, Ga., located about 70 miles southwest of the state capital

The company, officially known as RemArms LLC, is currently located in Ilion, N.Y.

"We are very excited to come to Georgia, a state that not only welcomes business but enthusiastically supports and welcomes companies in the firearms industry," RemArms CEO Ken D'Arcy said in a statement.

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp praised the move by the nation's oldest arms maker, whose lines of shotguns and hunting rifles date back to 1816.

"I am a proud owner of some of Remington's first-class product, and now, I am excited to welcome them to their new home in the Peach State," he said in a release. "As yet another big manufacturing win for our state, I look forward to seeing the oldest firearms manufacturer in America thrive in Georgia's pro-business environment."

Kemp said the move will result in 856 new jobs created over a five-year period in Troup County, Ga.

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RemArms purchased several rifle brands from Remington Outdoor Co., which was broken up after its second bankruptcy filing last year in the wake of a lawsuit brought by families of victims of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The families argued that Remington had marketed its Bushmaster AR-15-style assault rifle in a way that inspired gunman Adam Lanza in his plot to attack the school. Twenty children and six adults died in the assault.

JPMorgan Chase and Franklin Advisors gained ownership of Remington after its first bankruptcy filing in 2018 while seven banks, including Bank of America, gave the company $193 million in loans. The private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management owned it before that.