FOXNews.com: Gun manufacturers start leaving states that passed new gun control laws

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Gun manufacturers start leaving states that passed new gun control laws Apr 29th 2013, 15:45 A rack of AR-15 rifles stand to be individually packaged as workers move a pallet of rifles for shipment at the Stag Arms company in New Britain, Conn., Wednesday, April 10, 2013.AP Gun manufactures in Connecticut and Colorado are making good on their promise to move their operations - along with millions of dollars and thousands of jobs – out of the area after both state legislatures passed sweeping gun control measures this year. In Connecticut, the exodus has already begun. The first gunmaker to pack up and leave is Bristol-based PTR Industries, which announced earlier this month via Facebook that it would be taking its 40 jobs and $50,000 weekly payroll to another state. "With a heavy heart but a clear mind, we have been forced to decide that our business can no longer survive in Connecticut – the former Constitution state," PTR said in a statement earlier this month. AR-15 manufacturer Stag Arms could soon follow suit along with Colt Competition and Mossberg & Sons. In Connecticut alone, the gun making business employs 3,000 state workers and generates about $1.75 billion in annual taxable revenues. Some say the gun industry's sprint to move out of state will be a sizeable hit to the state's economy. Earlier this month, Connecticut lawmakers approved a wide-ranging bill that includes new restriction on weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines. The 139-page bi-partisan bill passed 26-10 in the Senate and 105-44 in the House. The new law adds more than 100 firearms to the state's assault weapons ban and creates what officials have called the nation's first dangerous weapon offender registry as well as eligibility rules for buying ammunition. The push to reform the country's gun control legislation accelerated after the December massacre of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown. Connecticut joins California, New York and Massachusetts in having some of the country's strongest gun control laws on the books. Like Connecticut, the fight over tighter restrictions prompted several gun manufacturers in Colorado threaten to leave. In March, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed bills that would require background checks for private and online gun sales and ban ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds Magpul Industries, which manufactures firearms accessories and ammunition magazines, said on its Facebook page that it would have "no choice" but to leave if the magazine bill was signed, causing an opening for states eager to prove they're more gun-friendly. Magpul employs more than 200 people and generates about $85 million in annual taxable revenues. Grassroots Facebook pages have popped up - some, before the Colorado bills were even signed - encouraging Magpul to settle in places like Alabama, West Virginia or Alaska. Alaska state Rep. Tammie Wilson's staff created a Facebook page, too, called "Magpul Industries - Alaska Wants You." Texas has engaged in its own hard-core soliciting of disgruntled gunmakers. Lawmakers there have OK'd a measure that would free up money to local and regional economic development agencies to offer incentives to gun manufacturers to relocate in the state. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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