Maryland state Sen. Nancy Jacobs, a Republican, holds up a gun target ... more >Major weapons manufacturer Beretta USA is vowing to close shop and leave Maryland if the state passes new gun-control measures.
The multimillion dollar, centuries-old manufacturer provides hundreds of jobs in the state, the Blaze reports. It was considering an expansion to its existing Prince George County plant — until Maryland lawmakers introduced a bill to ban so-called assault weapons.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: Second Amendment and Gun Control
The law also would ban the company’s 9 mm pistol, a staple of the U.S. military and civilian police departments.
“Why expand in a place where the people who built the gun couldn’t buy it?” asked Jeffrey Reh, general counsel for Beretta, in the Blaze.
Mr. Reh warned legislators a couple weeks ago not to pass the ban. He reminded them that when Maryland ramped up gun control in the 1990s, the company moved its warehouse down the road to Virginia, according to The Blaze.
Beretta’s plans were first reported in The Washington Post.
© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
We hear about the politics, now lets visit with the people of the square
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
