Texas Governor Rick Perry is scheduled to visit gun manufacturers located in the state of Connecticut, which recently passed stricter gun regulations in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, in an attempt to lure the companies to relocate to Texas, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
The former Republican presidential hopeful has often touted the low taxes and lack of corporate regulation in his home state as a reason for businesses to relocate. A statement from Perry's spokeswoman Lucy Nashed explained why Perry was traveling to the Nutmeg State, according to the Connecticut Post.
"There are some firearm companies that are looking to make a move since the Connecticut Legislature passed more regulations on the industry," Nashed said. "We've been reaching out to them via letters and the governor's talked on the phone to some of them. This is something he's been doing for a long time - talking to companies in different states."
As Democratically controlled states attempt to pass stronger gun control laws in the wake of the recent shootings in Newtown and Aurora, Colo., it brings to the forefront the interesting problem that many of the most influential firearms manufacturers are in states that favor stronger regulation, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
Perry will be visiting Colt's Manufacturing and Mossberg & sons, two of the largest and most well-known gun makers in the U.S. When the Connecticut legislature was considering stronger gun-control laws Colt closed their factory for a day and sent all of their employees to the statehouse, where they were joined by the employees of other gun makers, to protest the regulations, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
"We exhausted ourselves testifying during public sessions at the state capital, reaching out to journalists, busing our employees to Hartford and more, but in the end it didn't matter," Mark Malkowski, president of Stag Arms told Forbes. "They wrote the bill in secret."
Connecticut's gun industry has been further irritated by the tone that Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy has used when discussing the industry.
"What this is about is the ability of the gun industry to sell as many guns to as many people as possible - even if they are deranged, even if they are mentally ill, even if they have a criminal background," Malloy told CNN. "They don't care. They want to sell guns."
In what may be seen as a bit of irony in addition to attempting to poach businesses from Connecticut the Texas governor will be speaking about civility in politics as part of Stamford's Civility in America symposium, according to the Connecticut Post.
Perry's spokeswoman said in a statement that the governor's attempts to lure businesses to Texas does not conflict with his message about civility that will be delivered at the symposium.
"I think the way he approaches it is definitely not a bashing thing," Nashed said. "There's no reason why can't have a good healthy dialogue and discourse about the different state policies that help create job creation."
Stamford Democratic City Committee Chairman John Mallozzi told the Connecticut Post that Perry was a strange choice for the symposium on civility.
"Certainly I'll be there to see what he has to say," Mallozzi said. "When I'm talking about civility he's not the first one who comes to mind. He's very controversial and he's not afraid of taking on people in a not-very-polite way."
