There has been so much talk on the effect banning firearms would have on the gun manufacturers and their employees. In each firearms factory hundreds of employees jobs will be impacted. As dismal as this is to those workers, people seem to forget the supporting industries that will be impacted by a gun ban. Moon Cutter company was founded by Charlie Moon as a cutting tool manufacturer with just one customer, that one customer was Colt Firearms. At that time employing just four people in 5,000 square feet.
After earning a reputation for manufacturing quality cutting tools and the high tolerances a firearm needs, started to manufacture tools for other gun makers, including O.F. Mossberg, Marlin, Winchester, Sturm Ruger, Smith & Wesson, just to name a few. By 1994, at the time of the 1994 ban on assault rifles, our business had grown to over 75 employees and 90,000 square feet of manufacturing, three generations supporting families, young adults earning college tuition during school breaks, employees learning a trade and having life long careers with Moon Cutter Company. That is 75 people contributing to the economy.
In the coming years after the ban we diversified into supplying cutting tools to other markets such as the automotive, engine and pump manufacturing, but with firearms still representing most of our business, to survive we fell to just 12 employees. Since the ban on assault rifles was lifted in 2004, we began a slow process of regrowth, today we have grown back up to 30 employees.
While we firmly believe there should be strict laws on obtaining firearms, and keeping them out of the hands of criminals, we also believe there is proof that a firearms ban has done nothing to reduce crime, but has had negative impact on the economy, Moon Cutter is not the only supporting business of the firearm industry. There are so many small companies that the firearm industry supports. We urge lawmakers and politicians to educate themselves with the facts, enforce gun laws that are in effect and not enforced and consider the effect a gun ban would have on our people instead of an agenda that will do nothing to reduce crime and everything to with costing the American workers jobs.
Charles Moon
Moon Cutter Co. Inc.
Hamden