Aero Precision, one of the nation's leading firearm parts and accessories manufacturers, warned Tacoma, Wash., city officials their proposed punitive gun and ammunition tax would have consequences. Officials passed the proposed increases and instituted the taxes and fees.

Aero Precision answered back. The company and its 800 employees announced plans to expand and grow their manufacturing base in nearby Lakewood, Wash. Instead of investing in more jobs, more infrastructure, and more taxes paid to the City of Tacoma, Aero is literally sending their business elsewhere.

Warning Shots
Despite a recent model of abject failure from nearby Seattle, Tacoma city officials went forward with a proposal in 2019 to implement a tax increase on all firearms and ammunition. The tax increase, including $25 on all firearms and between 2-5 cents on all ammunition, was sold by officials to the public as a windfall, predicted to generate an extra $30,000 a year to "provide public benefit to residents of Tacoma related to gun violence" The community decried the proposal and firearm-related businesses specifically warned it would lead to job losses in the community.

"I'm certain I will close. It's the principle that people will have to pay for what they think is their right. You would not pay a tax to vote, pay a tax for free speech," said Mary Davies, owner of Tacoma-based Mary's Pistols.

Several firearm-related businesses joined in voicing their concerns and Aero Precision's CEO Scott Dover added his caution as well. "This tax will affect not only over-the-counter sales, but it will eventually affect parts and components. It will just literally put us out of business if we were to stay in Tacoma with this type of tax."

Tacoma's City Council didn't listen and passed the fees. Council Member Ryan Mello complained, "I think it is fundamentally unfair for all of us who are non-gun users to bare all of the burden of gun violence in our community."

Council Member Mello should maybe think again about the tax base and receipts community-based firearm businesses bring in. In Seattle, Outdoor Emporium fled the city after a similar tax increase the year before led to a decrease in customer traffic of 32 percent, equating to $2 million in lost revenue. That's a lot of dollars going to city coffers to pay for non-firearm related services for the non-gun users Mello describes.

Grow Elsewhere
Aero Precision kept its word. The Tacoma City Council passed the tax proposal in 2019 to take effect in July 2020, which was later delayed until 2021 due to COVID concerns. Still, Aero Precision kept its word, announcing an expansion to nearby Lakewood.

"We are very excited to be working with the City of Lakewood on our relocation," Dover said. "The city representatives have been extremely welcoming, and we foresee Lakewood as the long-term home for Aero Precision as we continue to position ourselves as a top tier manufacturing facility in the State of Washington."

Lakewood's gain is Tacoma's loss and a sizeable loss at that. Aero's new facility is 268,000 square feet and will welcome some of the existing 800 employees and newcomers who will sustain the new growth. That's a huge loss for Tacoma whose council members were looking for $30,000 in extra taxes.





Linky

Good

I wish more companies would do things like this

A heartwarming story . Thank you so much for sharing.

Get woke go broke, suck it Tacoma

Good. This needs to happen more often

Good...any recommendations on Aero parts etc ? I'll buy something just because.

Crap. My budget's blown and now I want to spend money with Aero.

They should move to a more freedom oriented state.

The city estimated $30k in taxes from a $25 tax on firearm sales and $0.05 tax on ammo?

Pathetic.


Well done Aero.

Last week it was boycott Aero for moving, this week it’s buy Aero

Idiots and n Tacoma just lost more revenue than they wanted to gain. LOL!

Good move, used to run into the Aero guys at a cheese steak joint in Tacoma all the time.

Tacoma and Lakewood are both holes, wish they'd move further away but I get it.

Off to buy more Aero products.

Good, but should have moved to a free state.

Good....more companies should do it

If my google-fu is functioning, it looks like the annual budget for the City of Tacoma, WA for 2019-2020 was $3.5 BILLION.

I don't understand how $30K can be a windfall or a huge loss.  It seems like it would be a rounding error at best.


https://cms.cityoftacoma.org/finance/budget/2019-2020/2019-2020%20Adopted%20Budget%20Book.pdf

This post didnt include Aero's letter about diversity and inclusion.

They might have to with this horse shit coming up in our legislature.

* Cat reading newspaper...

“I need to buy some stuff from Aero today”.

Those are becoming hard to find these days.

This provides a bit better visibility on the reason for their move than their press release.

Spoiler alert:

They weren't really looking for the $30k

If they're spending the money to move, you'd think it would be out of WA entirely.  But definitely good that they're taking the step.

Good for them, my builds with their stuff have been GREAT.

Speaking with their wallet!!

Cool story and all but...if they were smart they would pack up and leave the state.

Yeah, reinvesting in WA seems like a long term gamble at best.

So they lost out on corporate taxes to not even generate enough extra tax to pay for the annual wage for a cop.
I don't think many of their lawmakers took intro to economics.

This ,  they're still in  the Marxist PNW  they need to GTFO , the firearms industry needs to move in it's entirety to Free America.

$30k?  That can't be right.

I think the city council and their depraved handlers will read this and be drunk with power and delight.

There should be a class action lawsuit by all of the businesses affected by these unconstitutional laws.  The costs of relocation are enormous.  Those that can't bear those costs simply loose everything.

The lawmakers should be openly mocked by media for their bad leadership and heckled until they resign in disgrace.

But our vote by mail system is a total farce.  The media is full blown socialist propaganda. The judicial system is wholly-owned and controlled and has no regard for rule of law and complete contempt for the constitution.

When there are no judges left to uphold the constitution, no voice as all media content is controlled, one must choose fight or flight.

AERO Precision good luck and I support you for making quality products and fighting the good fight.  RUN AERO RUN!!!

I’d like to celebrate by purchasing an M5 receiver set, but there aren’t any.

I forgot to check to see if anyone was selling off their Aero lowers...

Anyone still selling them or did they feel tarded for being tarded?

So we like Aero this week?

It would be $30k extra taxes and now they get nothing at all.

This is the answer

I'm going to go clean and oil my Aero AR in gratitude.

Aero is primarily an aerospace company.....gun parts were/are a sideline biz.

GD is fickle. We'll hate them again next week.

Didn't they just jump on the retarded diversity train?  I like their products but get woke, go broke should be a recurring theme.

Good! Just hope not many lose their job over them moving.

The entire state government is against firearms. Why are they still in the state?

So Tacoma still gets some money from them in a roundabout tax way.

I'd move out of the whole state, all together.

they are just moving down the road, they were almost in Lakewood already

Tacoma...no more gun violence for your non registered gun owners.  Good move.

They dont care about the revenue and got exactly what they wanted.  Aero should of just left the state.

Lakewood is located next to JBLM. I suspect they know how/where their bread is buttered.

Now if only companies would start not selling guns/ammo to the corresponding gov agencies of these antigun cities/states we can actually send a message.

All this will do is push for them to go for statewide taxes on guns/ammo.

It would have been $30k in extra (aka on top of what they already pay) taxes, now they get none from Aero.