VOA新闻杂志2024--Historic Gun Factory in New York State Village to Close

Historic Gun Factory in New York State Village to Close

The oldest gunmaker in America is closing its factory in a small town in the state of New York.

Remington Firearms was formed two centuries ago in what is now the town of Ilion, a village in the heart of New York's Mohawk Valley area. It began when Eliphalet Remington forged his first rifle barrel nearby in 1816.

Remington's owners recently announced it would permanently¹ shut the factory in March. They said costs were too high to continue making guns in Ilion.

The company is uniting all its operations in the southeastern state of Georgia. Remington officials say Georgia is friendlier to the firearms industry than New York.

The company's recent history has been marked by a lawsuit² connected to the mass murder of 20 children and six adults in 2012 at an elementary school in Connecticut. Remington Arms agreed to pay $73 million to relatives of victims and a survivor³ to settle the legal action. The company also declared financial failure more than once.

The factory workforce⁴ had dropped from about 1,300 workers more than 10 years ago to around 300. About 7,600 people live in Ilion. The gunmaker's withdrawal⁵ is a major loss to the town's economy and more.

"When Remington leaves, it's not going to be like a facility leaving, it's going to be like part of your family has moved off," said former factory worker Jim Conover. Conover retired⁶ in 2004, after 40 years at the plant.

Everyone knows someone who worked at the factory. For some families, jobs there are almost a birthright. Conover's father and sons also worked at the plant.

Building engineer Frank "Rusty⁷" Brown has had many family members among his coworkers.

"My mom worked there. My dad worked there. My wife works there with me now. My daughter works there with me now. My second daughter works there with me now. And my son-in-law works there," said Brown, who is president of the United Mine Workers of America Local 717.

He added, "So it's a double-hit for me and my wife: two of us out of a job."

The current owners of Remington Firearms, RemArms, blamed "production inefficiencies" for the plant closure in a letter to union officials late last year. They noted⁸ the high cost of caring for about 92,903 square meters of space in several buildings, many dating to World War I.

RemArms added that Georgia offered an environment that better "supports and welcomes the firearms industry."

RemArms CEO Ken⁹ D'Arcy also said in a news release that the industry was concerned about the "legislative¹⁰ environment" in New York.

But in a stretch of upstate New York where support for gun rights tends to be strong, some Republican elected officials seized on the company's comment about Georgia. They linked the plant closure to gun control measures championed by New York City-area Democrats¹¹ in recent years.

RemArms, which bought the firearms business in 2020, did not answer emails and calls seeking comment.

The company said in its letter to the union it expected to end facility operations around March 4. The company earlier announced in 2021 it was moving its headquarters to LaGrange, Georgia. RemArms said it would open a factory and research operation there.

The days of traffic jams in Ilion every afternoon when shifts let out are long gone. Empty spaces can be found in the factory's big parking lot. Nearby businesses that have long provided meals to the workers have already seen a sharp reduction in food orders.

One such business is Franco's pizza. Its owner, Daniel Mendez, said orders have been "dwindling¹² down," or decreasing.

"This is not necessarily going to put us out of business, but it does hurt," Mendez said.

Ilion Mayor John Stephens said there will be hard decisions ahead. But he said he believes the factory site will be used again. And while Remington might leave, he said the connection between the town and the factory can never be broken.

"Even when they are finally 100 percent no longer involved in the Village of Ilion in any way, shape or form, we're still going to be known for this," Stephens said. "You can't erase¹³ history."

Words in This Story

forge –n. to form (something, such as metal) by heating and hammering

lawsuit –n. a legal case before a court

facility –n. something (such as a hospital) that is built, installed, or established to serve a special purpose

birthright –n. a right, privilege, or possession to which a person is entitled by birth

inefficiency¹⁴ –n. a state or quality that is wasteful¹⁵ of time or energy

erase –v. to remove from existence or memory

1 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

2 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

3 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

4 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

5 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

10 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

11 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

13 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

14 inefficiency   

n.无效率，无能；无效率事例

参考例句：

• Conflict between management and workers makes for inefficiency in the workplace. 资方与工人之间的冲突使得工厂生产效率很低。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This type of inefficiency arises because workers and management are ill-equipped. 出现此种低效率是因为工人与管理层都能力不足。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。