This small New York village made guns for 200 years. What happens when Remington leaves for Georgia?

A sign for Remington Arms Co. is displayed in front of their compound in Ilion, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. The nation’s oldest gunmaker is consolidating operations in Georgia and recently announced plans to shutter the Ilion factory in early March. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Remington began in Ilion, New York, two centuries ago and generations of workers have turned out rifles and shotguns at the massive firearms factory in the middle of this blue-collar village in the heart of New York’s Mohawk Valley.

Now residents of Ilion are bracing for Remington’s exit, ending an era that began when Eliphalet Remington forged his first rifle barrel nearby in 1816.

The nation’s oldest gun maker recently announced plans to shutter the factory in the company’s original home early next month, citing the steep cost of running the historic plant. Remington is consolidating its operations in Georgia, a state the company says is friendlier to the firearms industry.