Gun company aiming for relocation to Pennsylvania after NY restricts sales

When it comes to job creation, one state's loss is another state's gain.

Kahr Firearms Group, a gun manufacturer, is moving its corporate headquarters from downstate New York to a 620-acre plot in Pike County, in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania.

The move comes after New York earlier this year passed the SAFE Act, banning sales of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Kahr Spokeswoman Sheryl Gallup said the company was mulling an expansion in New  York before the legislation, but then found Pennsylvania's gun laws "less restrictive."

The Kahr headquarters will move into a business park in Blooming Grove, one that the Pike County Economic Development Authority has looked to fill for the past 10 to 15 years.

The economy of Pike County, on Pennsylvania's eastern border about 75 miles from New York City, used to thrive on tourism and second homes. Post-recession, though, those industries are lagging. Pike County has a 9.1 percent unemployment rate among its 57,000 residents, one of the highest in the state, according to July figures.

"When we see an opportunity for a company such as Kahr coming into Pike County, we see it coming to offset that unemployment rate," said Pike County Commissioner Matt Osterberg.

Kahr's decision, though stemming from extenuating circumstances, was solidified with a local tax incentive.

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