[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 870 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 870

    Recognizing the 200th anniversary of the Remington Arms Company.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 15, 2016

Mr. Hanna submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

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                               RESOLUTION


 
    Recognizing the 200th anniversary of the Remington Arms Company.

Whereas in late 1816 the young, enterprising son of a blacksmith named Eliphalet 
        ``Lite'' Remington II produced his first firearm with a barrel he forged 
        at his father's business in the Mohawk Valley region of upstate New York 
        for use in a rifle competition because he was dissatisfied with the 
        products that were available for sale to the public at the time;
Whereas the company that grew from this first rifle gained a reputation for 
        high-quality firearms craftsmanship and in 1828 relocated to their 
        current site in Ilion, New York, that shortly after produced over 8,000 
        barrels per year;
Whereas early adoption of innovative methods of manufacturing and the ability to 
        produce mass manufactured firearm components with tight tolerances led 
        to a mastery of interchangeable parts that gave the company a distinct 
        advantage to make firearms for the United States Government;
Whereas since the middle of the 19th century, Remington has supplied arms to the 
        United States Armed Forces whenever they stepped onto the field of 
        battle;
Whereas beginning in 1848, Remington began to build percussion military rifles 
        for the Army and percussion breech-loading carbines for the Navy, along 
        with percussion and metallic cartridge revolvers for the United States 
        Armed Forces, a total of more than 200,000 handguns over the course of 
        the Civil War;
Whereas in the 1870s, the firearms production capacity of Remington surpassed 
        that of the entire country of England, and the company sought to 
        diversify their manufacturing lines to include agricultural equipment, 
        cutlery, typewriters, bicycles, cash registers, sewing machines and 
        other technically complex equipment over the years;
Whereas its support of the United States Armed Forces continued in the years 
        preceding the Nation's entry into the Great War with Remington merging 
        with the Union Metallic Cartridge Company in time to provide the Allies 
        with millions of military rifles, pistols, and machine guns by 
        increasing their workforce more than 15 times;
Whereas in the late 1930s, the Nation once again called upon Remington to arm 
        the country against the threat from the Axis Powers, and Remington 
        duplicated its effort from World War I by supplying more than 1,500,000 
        military rifles;
Whereas during both World Wars, Remington supplied more than half of the small 
        arms ammunition used by the Allies;
Whereas even during the demands of producing such a large amount of firearms and 
        ammunition, the company's employees still filed more than 1,000 patents 
        during the first half of the 20th century;
Whereas in 1950, Remington introduced the 870 shotgun, still produced in their 
        factory in Ilion, New York, today, the best-selling shotgun in the world 
        for purposes of sport and self-defense and recognized as the emblem of 
        all shotguns, with over 11,000,000 made since introduction;
Whereas in 1960, Remington introduced the first plastic body shot shells to 
        replace metal body shells, which are today the industry standard for 
        shotgun ammunition;
Whereas Remington's Model 700, introduced in 1962, is similarly known as the 
        standard for bolt action rifles, remains a dominant force in the 
        precision rifle market and the basic platform for the widely used M24 
        Military Sniper Weapon System;
Whereas the company also led the industry in the adoption of metal injection 
        molding technologies during the 1980s for firearms and a host of other 
        products;
Whereas Remington still manufactures and supplies innovative products including 
        advanced semi-automatic rifles, handguns, sound suppressors, long-range 
        sniper systems, shotguns, clay targets, accessories and ammunition 
        available for self-defense, sport shooting, law enforcement, and 
        military service alike;
Whereas this company is not just a symbol of the Nation's heritage, but an 
        example of this country's entrepreneurial spirit, a business that has 
        been shaped and protected by the Bill of Rights and the fundamental 
        values of free will and self-determination;
Whereas today nearly 3,500 United States workers proudly produce high-quality 
        firearms and accessories for Remington in several States, including new 
        versions of their most popular guns to commemorate their longevity; and
Whereas Remington Arms is among the Nation's oldest continuously operating 
        manufacturers and was born out of a search for a superior firearm, 
        industrial innovation, and the desire to better protect family, home, 
        community, and country: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the 
Remington Arms Company on its 200th anniversary.
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