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Gun industry is key to Connecticut economy, solutions to gun violence
It was disappointing to read the New Haven Register's editorial concerning ignoring the economic impact and potential loss of
jobs should the Connecticut General Assembly adopt some of the more than 100
pieces of anti-gun legislation now before them.
As one who represented
the 270 employees of O. F. Mossberg & Sons Inc. to the legislative task force last week as well as this week, I heard each of the representatives of
firearms manufacturers mention the potential economic impact of such
legislation, but more importantly, they spoke about how they can assist
the legislature in finding real, lasting and meaningful solutions to gun
violence. Firearm manufacturing in Connecticut, which has helped shape
this state’s economic history since the days of Eli Whitney, can provide the legislature a unique opportunity to gather technical knowledge and information
as new pieces of legislation are introduced.
Our
industry provides hundreds of well-paying, skilled manufacturing jobs with good
benefits. This is exactly the type of job that the state spends significant
resources trying to attract through its economic development programs. I
suppose it is easy to say – as your editorial did – that the real potential for
the loss of jobs is a “drop in the bucket,” but tell that to the good folks
that may lose their jobs. They are not a statistic. We have been fortunate to be able to hire several former employees of Marlin Firearms, whose jobs were lost when the company decided to move out of Connecticut. I can assure you that those people, and many others, are justifiably concerned about the ability to provide for their families. In addition, the editorial failed to mention the vendors all across this state that supply component parts and services to firearms manufacturers. The employees of our vendors number in the several thousands; their jobs would likewise be jeopardized by certain proposed legislation.
The issue of gun violence is complex. There is no easy solution to this
situation, and we are simply trying to convey to the task force that all aspects
of the root cause of such reckless violence must be examined, and the consequences
of any legislation must be carefully considered. Connecticut
has been our home for 94 years and we are very proud of that fact. We
welcome a serious, open and meaningful discussion about real solutions,
and we simply ask that the Register not be dismissive of points of view that
may differ from theirs.
Joseph
H. Bartozzi
Senior Vice President, O. F. Mossberg & Sons Inc.
North Haven
posted by Matt DeRienzo at
4:51 PM
2 Comments:
Sir, Thank you for speaking to the concerns of lost jobs and families. With the loss of life in Sandy Hook, many people see only the need for removing guns from our society. They do not look beyond that to the impact it will have on the tax roles, the thousands of gun owners and their families that will be punished for the actions of a madman. They are too blinded by the fury of the senseless deaths to see anything beyond the objective to take away the guns.
Why doesn't this include the option to post with the same name as the rest of the Register?
Yes this is a complex issue, but the President has included from the beginning looking at things besides guns such as mental health and that no one law can solve things.
Isn't ignoring the moral implications to only consider the economic impact the same argument made 150 years ago by the Connecticut gun manufacturers to sell guns to the Confederacy?
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