I spotted this piece written by the South Florida Business Journal and thought it would be worth a discussion.

Not everyone likes guns, much less supports them with their tax dollars and I won’t get into the politics because that’s just an easy way of de-railing everything. Do you think we should be using county and state tax dollars to fund a firearms importer and manufacturer?

The Beacon Council is helping two Miami-Dade County companies apply for job growth incentives, including a small arms manufacturer that could expand locally or leave.

Taurus USA President and CEO Bob Morrison said he’s being romanced strongly by other states. He is going to compare their incentive packages to what Florida offers.

“We’d like to stay here, rather than move,” Morrison said.

The gun manufacturer and distributor has 135 employees in about 60,000 square feet in Hialeah. It has proposed building an additional 30,000 square feet and adding 123 workers with average wages of $32,000. It would be a $7.8 million investment.

Should Taurus meet those goals, a pending Qualified Target Industry deal would award it $73,800 from Miami-Dade and $295,200 in state dollars.

On the other hand, Morrison said Taurus could move its entire operation out of Hialeah if it gets a better deal. Competing offers have come from Brevard County, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia, which had its governor court the company.

“Gov. [Sonny] Perdue has been particularly anxious to extend the warm hand of Georgia,” Morrison said. “It’s a very attractive offer that he’s made. He’s gone way, way out of his way to try to get us to understand that Georgia is more than willing to have a firearms company move there.”

Georgia is home to two major gun manufacturers, including Glock.

Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Ken Stewart declined to comment on potential deals.

Taurus International began as a small tool manufacturer in Porto Alegre, Brazil, more than 60 years ago. Today, it is a diversified, international company and one of the largest small-arms manufacturers in the world. The company produced its first revolver in 1941.

In 1982, Taurus International opened an affiliated company in the Miami area. Taurus USA imports 90 percent of its guns from Brazil and makes the rest here.

“In general, we do not feel wanted or needed in the local community,” Taurus stated in its application. “The attitude that has been expressed by Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida would rank them in the low position of attractiveness.”

Since it filed the application, Morrison said the Beacon Council and state Sen. Rudy Garcia, R-Hialeah, have helped develop a competitive proposal.

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Disclaimer: My father inherited a Taurus stainless steel .357 Magnum revolver so my family does own one. I own a litte .22 Ruger Mk2 pistol that I’ve never even taken out of the box. I don’t even know why I have it, but I do.

Via South Florida Business Journal