Firearms maker pulls business from N.Y. after new gun law

A Washington-state-based firearms manufacturer has announced that it no longer will be doing business with New York law enforcement, in response to the state’s sweeping new gun laws on private citizens.

Olympic Arms, a manufacturer of AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles, made the announcement Tuesday as New York will begin imposing an assault weapons ban on its residents.

“Legislation recently passed in the State of New York outlaws the AR15 and many other firearms, and will make it illegal for the good and free citizens of New York to own a large selection of legal and safe firearms and magazines,” the company wrote on its official Facebook page. “We feel as though the passage of this legislation exceeds the authority granted to the government of New York by its citizens, and violates the Constitution of the United States.”

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s assault-weapons ban allows law enforcement agencies to purchase assault-style weapons, but Olympic says it no longer will serve the state’s first responders, Fox News writes.

“It didn’t make sense that citizens can’t have what police departments have,” Brian Schuetz, Olympic’s president and co-owner, told the Times Union newspaper.

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