remington factory.jpg

A drawing of the factory in Ilion, N.Y., where Remington has been producing firearms for nearly 200 years.

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Remington Outdoor Co.'s plan to open a firearm manufacturing facility that could employ up to 2,000 workers in Huntsville has received overwhelming support from AL.com readers this weekend.

An AL.com poll Saturday asking readers if they would support a Remington gun factory in Huntsville showed 94 percent are in favor of the facility. As of 10:30 a.m. Sunday, 3,529 voted, "Yes, bring on the jobs and business," while 2,540 said, "Yes, I love the Second Amendment."

"Jobs, Jobs, Jobs," wrote AL.com reader GunRights on Saturday. "Great last couple of days for Huntsville. The Whole Foods and now the Remington plant. Great job, city leaders. This type of growth does not happen by sitting around and waiting. This is proactive leadership."

A Military Times GearScout report Friday said Remington will open a 500,000-square-foot factory that will be used for manufacturing, new product development and training for its commercial, military and law enforcement divisions.

The deal is expected to be announced at 5 p.m. Monday during a special session called by the Huntsville City Council.

Sources with knowledge of the deal have said the plant would be located in a former Chrysler plant on Wall Triana Highway and Electronics Boulevard, which is near Huntsville International Airport. Production is not expected to begin before 2015, The Military Times reported.

"This is great news," another AL.com reader CambronnesWord wrote Saturday. "These will be excellent manufacturing jobs and will be very different than all the high-tech stuff Huntsville seems to specialize in. Economic diversity is a good thing."

About 3.55 percent of voters in the AL.com poll said they are against guns and gun ownership, and 1.21 percent did not care either way. Although most commenters were enthusiastic for a new Remington plant in Huntsville, a few readers expressed concern.

"More guns -- we don't need any more guns!!!" wrote paboy61.

"I am glad for jobs coming to North Alabama especially with the closing of the paper mill in Courtland," wrote Yolanda McLain on Facebook. "I hope the jobs pay well and are accompanied by excellent benefits. If Alabama's love for the 2nd amendment influenced Remington's decision to locate here I wish the state held the same regard for all the other Constitutional amendments. On a personal note, my stepson was killed due to gun violence. I hate to see more guns manufactured. I do not want and will not participate in an exchange of comments on the matter; we are all guaranteed the right to voice our opinion."

The question of tax incentives, which have not been announced for the Remington project, also sparked a debate among AL.com readers Saturday.

AL.com commenter Bo Alawine said, "I smell the sweet scent of taxpayer-funded incentives and loads of liability protections."

Reader lifeisgoodinhsv also weighed in, "One simply does not recruit industry in the modern era without the use of incentives of some sort. To think that manufacturers and other job creators would pass on incentives in other places and relocate to your area because they 'like you' is naive at best. That line of thinking will leave you with double digit employment and one way streets out of town. Simply, this appears to be a major coup not just for Madison County but also for the entire region."

What do you think about the Remington deal in Huntsville? Let us know in the comment section below.

Send Lucy Berry an email at lberry@al.com.