Winchester Gun Factory Is Slated to Shut Down
From Times Wire Reports
U.S. Repeating Arms Co. Inc. said it would close its Winchester firearm factory, putting in doubt the future of a rifle that was once called “The Gun that Won the West.”
“It’s part of who we are as a nation just like it’s part of who we are as a city,” New Haven Mayor John DeStefano said.
The announcement touched off a lobbying effort by city officials and union leaders who hoped to find a buyer for the plant before it closed March 31.
The company has been hurt by slumping firearm sales. About 19,000 people worked at the plant during World War II, but fewer than 200 work there now.
