{"id":10317,"date":"2012-08-29T06:30:06","date_gmt":"2012-08-29T12:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/?p=10317"},"modified":"2013-02-11T12:20:53","modified_gmt":"2013-02-11T19:20:53","slug":"idaho-aims-for-job-growth-through-gun-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2012\/08\/29\/idaho-aims-for-job-growth-through-gun-manufacturing\/","title":{"rendered":"Idaho Aims For Job Growth Through Gun Manufacturing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Molly Messick \/ StateImpact Idaho<\/p>\n

BJ Swanson is executive director of the Latah Economic Development Council.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Click above for an interactive map of all gun and ammunition manufacturers in Idaho.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A few years ago, state leaders got the idea to promote Idaho to the outdoor industry, including gun\u00a0manufacturers.\u00a0 After all, Idaho is a more firearms-friendly place than most.\u00a0 More than half of Idahoans own guns<\/a>, and state law shields firearms manufacturers from liability<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One North Idaho town — Potlatch — is honing its pitch to attract the gun industry and jobs.\u00a0 Local economic development official BJ Swanson is key to the effort.\u00a0 Not long ago, Swanson drove through an overgrown patch of ground on the outskirts of Potlatch, population 800.\u00a0 It\u2019s a humble spot, but in it she sees the town\u2019s future and its past.<\/p>\n

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Molly Messick \/ StateImpact Idaho<\/p>

After its mill closed, Potlatch -- once an "elite rural town," Swanson says -- became a bedroom community to more prosperous towns nearby.<\/p><\/div>\n

“This is part of the main mill here, the concrete relics that you see,” she says, as she points out the window.\u00a0 She’s gesturing toward a crumbling cement structure, protruding from tall grass.\u00a0 It\u2019s all that\u2019s left of a sawmill that was once one of world\u2019s largest.\u00a0 Now, Potlatch needs a new<\/em> plan.\u00a0 And it has one.<\/p>\n

“Guns are going to be manufactured somewhere,” she says.\u00a0 “Why not here?”<\/p>\n

Local officials envision a mix of commercial, industrial, retail and residential space, built where the mill once stood.\u00a0 If all goes well, it will revolve around so-called \u201crecreation technology.\u201d\u00a0 The term functions as a euphemism for \u201cthe gun industry,\u201d though local leaders want to attract related businesses, too. The idea took hold last fall, after ammunition-maker PNW Arms moved from the Seattle suburbs to small-town Idaho.<\/p>\n

“If I was working for any other firearms manufacturer in any other part of the country, and the question came up, ‘How could we do our business better?’ I would suggest Idaho as a place to relocate.”<\/p>\n

It’s a fervent endorsement that comes from PNW Arms’ vice president of sales and unofficial spokesman, Fred Newcome.\u00a0 He says the number of available workers who are knowledgeable and passionate about guns was one factor in PNW Arms’ move to Potlatch.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy PNW Arms<\/p>

An array of ammunition, all produced by PNW Arms<\/p><\/div>\n

The company has a consumer line, but it also has higher-profile clients, like the Department of Defense.\u00a0 Newcome is proud to say that cutting-edge ammunition comes out of PNW’s new home.<\/p>\n

“We have literally innovated some things that you can\u2019t find anywhere else,” he says.\u00a0 “There are munitions being produced here that you don\u2019t know about and won\u2019t know about and are really changing the way small arms are utilized in warfare.”<\/p>\n

Think: bullets that work underwater.\u00a0 That\u2019s a main project.<\/p>\n

This interview with Newcome might seem pretty normal, but there were things that set it apart.\u00a0 First, Newcome and I talked in PNW Arms\u2019 waiting area.\u00a0 For security reasons, I wasn\u2019t allowed beyond that point.\u00a0 Second, the conversation was supervised by a company official who asked that his name and title remain off the record.<\/p>\n

Then, there were the company\u2019s guard dogs. They had been moved to another room before I arrived.\u00a0 But when it was decided I could meet the nicest of them, the dog took one look at me and issued a long, low growl.<\/p>\n

“He\u2019s the leader of our pack, here, for our security team,” Newcome said, chuckling.<\/p>\n

The dog’s name is Almash, and he’s a Hungarian Kuvasz, a breed historically used to fend off wolves.\u00a0 The unnamed company official jokes that Almash ate the last two journalists who came to visit.<\/p>\n

Each of these little departures from the way radio interviews usually go is a reminder of a simple fact: stories about guns carry an automatic charge.\u00a0 Newcome and I met only hours after last month\u2019s mass shooting in Aurora, Colo.\u00a0 It\u2019s all but impossible to separate firearms from the passionate political views they inspire.<\/p>\n

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Molly Messick \/ StateImpact Idaho<\/p>

Newcome says this M4 is a weapon commonly used by elite units of the U.S. military.<\/p><\/div>\n

Department of Commerce Director Jeff Sayer acknowledges that point, but steers clear.\u00a0 “I don\u2019t have an answer from a philosophical standpoint,” he says.\u00a0 “What I do know from a strategic standpoint: having arms manufacturers and ammunition manufacturers makes a lot of sense for the state.”<\/p>\n

Idaho\u2019s Commerce Department embarked on a recreation technology recruitment campaign in 2008.\u00a0 The idea was to create clusters of related businesses.\u00a0 Little by little, Sayer says, the state has seen companies move in.\u00a0 Now, Potlatch is attempting to pick up that ball and run.<\/p>\n

“I think every community has to find their niche,” Sayer says, “and has to find something that can set them apart, and give them a story to tell to the outside world.” <\/em><\/p>\n

One of Idaho\u2019s<\/em> stories to the outside world is its open embrace of firearms.\u00a0 A state statute limiting lawsuits<\/a> against gun and ammunition manufacturers is more restrictive than most<\/a>.\u00a0 Federal records show 180 manufacturers in the state<\/a>, including PNW Arms.<\/p>\n

At the end of our interview, Newcome offers a shooting lesson.\u00a0 The gun is an M4.<\/p>\n

“This is a fully automatic weapon you\u2019ll see in use by any of your tier one teams.\u00a0 Your Seals, your Rangers, your Force Recon guys all use a weapon similar to this,” Newcome tells me.<\/p>\n

This is another of Idaho\u2019s main draws: the ease of testing ammunition.\u00a0 There\u2019s no need to drive for hours to an open stretch of land.\u00a0 All we\u2019ve done is walk outside behind the shop, where there\u2019s a target set up.<\/p>\n

Like Idaho\u2019s Commerce Director, PNW Arms prefers not to get mired in the politics of its profession.\u00a0 By choosing Idaho, the company is taking the path of least resistance.<\/p>\n

Others appear to be following their lead.<\/p>\n

Last week, BJ Swanson says, Washington-based Eagle View Arms committed to moving to Potlatch.\u00a0 They\u2019re a firearms accessories manufacturer, and they’re small \u2013 three employees \u2013 but they plan to grow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Molly Messick \/ StateImpact Idaho BJ Swanson is executive director of the Latah Economic Development Council.   Click above for an interactive map of all gun and ammunition manufacturers in Idaho. A few years ago, state leaders got the idea to promote Idaho to the outdoor industry, including gun\u00a0manufacturers.\u00a0 After all, Idaho is a more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":10318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[68,35,189,58],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10317"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10317"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15663,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10317\/revisions\/15663"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}