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Gun maker eyes HQ in Pike County (PA)
Pocono Record ^ | June 20, 2013 | Beth Brelje

Posted on 06/20/2013 4:17:34 AM PDT by RBW in PA

A gun manufacturer is considering buying the entire 620-acre Pike County business park for $2 million to escape an unfriendly gun climate in New York. Kahr Firearms Group would move its corporate headquarters from in Pearl River, N.Y., to Pike County, bringing a some 100 jobs, company spokesman Frank Harris said. Some jobs will be temporary construction, others will be administrative and manufacturing. The business would be built in phases.

Already the company has hired engineering, legal and real estate firms to work on the project. It is conducting an executive search for an operations manager to oversee the building phase. "This land has a lot of woods. We have to clear the land and put in foundations. An operations manager will handle that and hire construction people," Harris said.

The first phase in Pike will begin with site preparation, clearing of trees and office construction as early as late this year. This will be followed by the relocation of company corporate offices and the research and development department. Some company executives who will work at the new offices have already purchased homes in Pike County, Harris said.

In the second phase, manufacturing operations will be expanded to the Pike County location to meet an increasing demand for the Kahr Arms, Thompson, Auto-Ordnance and Magnum Research product lines.

High demand Business is booming.

The company website advises customers that due to high demand, delivery times on firearms and high-capacity magazines will vary and may take as long as six months for new orders. Manufacturing is backlogged about a year, as are other gun makers, Harris said, although the company manages to send a little bit of product to all of its customers.

Kahr Firearms Group was founded in 1994 by Justin Moon, the son of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church. Today the private company sells between $75 million to $100 million in firearms and accessories annually, Harris said. Since 2001, sales have grown annually by 10 to 15 percent, Harris said. That is why for two years, Kahr had been in talks to buy land for a manufacturing facility in New York.

After the Newtown school shootings in December, the company saw some panic buying as there was talk of stricter gun control laws. Harris said the growth then jumped to 25 percent.

New York unfriendly "We were ready to sign a deal in rural Orange County, N.Y. But when the governor passed stricter gun control, it made it tough to continue on that path, so we jumped over the river," Harris said.

"New York has become very unfriendly to people in the gun business. We feel like we are being treated like criminals in New York. That is one of the reasons we are coming to Pennsylvania."

Kahr would use some of the business park in Blooming Grove for its own purposes, and sell some lots to other manufacturers, said Pete Helms of Chant Real Estate who is handling the deal.

The company signed a 60-day contract with the Pike County Economic Development Authority and the Business Development Corporation, during which the company will seek permits and approvals, and have engineers look at the property, Pike County EDA President Kathy Hummel said. The company plans an indoor shooting range to test equipment.

"I think it is a perfect fit. I believe they are going to be good neighbors," Hummel said. The Kahr Group of manufacturing plants, operating at full capacity, will continue production in their current locations in Worcester, Mass., and Pillager, Minn.

The business park land has been off the tax rolls since 1996, Pike Commissioner Matt Osterberg said. This deal will finally get that land generating taxes again. "This will go a long way in helping unemployment in Pike County," Hummel said.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; US: New York; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: banglist; freedom; guncontrol; guns; kahr; kahrarmsrelocate; liberty; rkba; secondamendment; shallnobeinfringed; youwillnotdisarmus
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To: rktman
"The cradle of our republic is crumbling. Sad, sad times we’re in. Guess nobody teaches history up there anymore huh?"

Indeed. My father's family's roots are CT via MA (1632). Family members were active patriots in the Revolutionary War. They were involved in both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitutional Convention, and one served in Washington's cabinet. And now CT is at the forefront of betraying all of that. Shame on'em.

21 posted on 06/20/2013 8:04:15 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog
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To: RBW in PA

Great news for Blooming Grove Township and great to get the misguided project of the 620 acre business park finally sold. The history of the completely empty business park goes back nearly two decades!

Now just watch the second home folks and environmentalists freak out at the notion of ANY development. Far better to keep the thing endlessly off the tax rolls and tax payers endlessly paying for it (sarc).


22 posted on 06/20/2013 8:05:08 AM PDT by finnsheep
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To: Wonder Warthog

Roger that. Mine(fathers side) came from the Hudson River Valley (Green County men) area in NY and several of them signed the Coxsackie Declaration a month after the Concord fiasco and a year before the Declaration of Independence. Been here since the early 1700’s as far as I can trace back. Also revolutionary army troops, civil war, Spanish American, WW I, WW II, Korea, VN, Iraq 1 and 2, Afghanistan for kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews too.


23 posted on 06/20/2013 8:21:25 AM PDT by rktman (Inergalactic background checks? King hussein you're first up.)
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To: finnsheep
I'm seriously considering a move to Pike County myself from NJ. The savings in health and car insurance alone would pay the mortgage on a house. Pike County is the closest low population density area to NYC. It's 93% white and votes Republican. From what I know so far it's the place I want to go.

Anti-growth envious leftists actually provide a valuable service by making it harder for people to move in. Population density drives the demand for socialism and big government. If Pike County can keep its population density near 85 per square mile it will stay a nice place to live.

24 posted on 06/20/2013 8:36:03 AM PDT by Reeses
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To: SueRae

Kahr Arms owns the Auto Ordnance - they make Thompsons (Tommy guns).

They also make fine semi auto handguns too.

Welcome to Pennsylvania, Kahr!! Your coming here makes us stronger.


25 posted on 06/20/2013 11:29:08 AM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: GlockThe Vote

Come to PA.

All Gunnies Welcome. Makes us stronger.


26 posted on 06/20/2013 11:30:43 AM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: School of Rational Thought

Philadelphia is liberal. So is Pittsburgh.

All points in between, not so much. Our State House, Senate, and the Governor’s mansion are GOP-controlled, and most of them are fairly conservative GOP types. Some are twitchy, for sure, but we’ll remove them eventually if they mess with our firearm rights.

It’s a gun friendly state, even though we have an anti-gun AG who just got elected.

Our State constitution, Article 1, Section 21:

Right to Bear Arms
Section 21.
The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.

Reservation of Powers in People
Section 25.
To guard against the transgressions of the high powers which we have delegated, we declare that everything in this article is excepted out of the general powers of government and shall forever remain inviolate.

Safe or safer as anywhere else these days, and better than NJ NY CT etc.,


27 posted on 06/20/2013 11:35:01 AM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: RBW in PA

For what it’s worth, I work in the industry, have owned several Kahr pistols, and am personally acquainted with Justin Moon.

Kahr has prospered with the concealed carry revolution, and makes high-quality compact pistols. I imagine they sell pretty much every one they make, and they seem to have prospered enough to acquire rights to the Thompson machine gun, as well as Magnum Research.

I have chatted with Moon occasionally over the years, and after an extended conversation with him in person earlier this year, it’s clear to me that he is the real deal on gun rights, understanding this nation’s liberties, and would fit in just fine as a Freeper.

I salute companies that vote with their feet and their pocketbooks. You know that it’s a powerful motivation, given the cost and headaches with moving a large manufacturing operation.

I also suspect that company is being a savvy investor in some desirable distressed real estate.


28 posted on 06/20/2013 11:40:35 AM PDT by Atlas Sneezed (Universal Background Check -> Registration -> Confiscation -> Oppression -> Extermination)
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To: NFHale

Thanks to all for the answers on Kahr. It’s been a looong time since I bought firearms. Decades.

Kahr, Welcome to Pa.!


29 posted on 06/20/2013 12:10:44 PM PDT by SueRae (It isn't over. In God We Trust.)
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To: SueRae

“...been a looong time since I bought firearms. ..”

Time to buy one then!!! :^) Treat yourself if you can.

What better way to welcome Kahr to the state than to patronize the business!

There’s an idea: “Buy A Kahr Day in PA”!


30 posted on 06/20/2013 12:26:26 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: Reeses

I huge hunk of Pike County cannot be developed ever because it is State Gamelands, State Park, Natural Areas, State Forest or National Park.

http://www.pikepa.org/Planning/PikeCounty_PublicLands.pdf

None the less, a few years back, folks who have probably never been west of Milford voted a $10 Million bond issue to PURCHASE green space. So we are still paying on that so that folks in Milford can look at green without having to drive even to the center of the county.


31 posted on 06/20/2013 12:34:57 PM PDT by finnsheep
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To: NFHale

I didn’t say I didn’t have them. Kahr will be on my radar..but I really want a Henry.


32 posted on 06/20/2013 12:36:56 PM PDT by SueRae (It isn't over. In God We Trust.)
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To: SueRae

Oh, I didn’t get that at all; I figured you were a gunny; but it’s ALWAYS a great time to treat yourself to a new one!!

Henry’s are nice lever guns. I don’t have one in my collection, but I do have a couple of Marlin lever guns.


33 posted on 06/20/2013 12:42:21 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: y'all

checking the map. . . article says Kahr’s current headquarters is in Pearl River, NY. That’s near the Hudson river only about 15 miles north of Manhattan. The business park near Lords Valley, PA would be an 82 mile drive to the northwest, about 20 miles past the NY/PA state line off of I-84.


34 posted on 06/20/2013 12:53:50 PM PDT by deks ("...the battle...liberty against the overreach of the federal government" Ken Cuccinelli)
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To: NFHale

Might want to begin with Pat Toomey


35 posted on 06/20/2013 5:58:09 PM PDT by School of Rational Thought
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To: NFHale

Roger THAT.


36 posted on 06/20/2013 8:09:40 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: RBW in PA

Kahr Arms bailing on New York and Massachusetts
June 20, 2013

Don’t look for Kahr pistols to say Worcester, MA for much longer…

Kahr Arms bids farewell to anti-gun slave states New York and Massachusetts…

http://www.gunssavelife.com/?p=8000


37 posted on 06/23/2013 6:53:47 PM PDT by KeyLargo
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