The president of the National Rifle Association said Remington's decision to relocate to Alabama could be the first in a series of gun manufacturers moving to the state.

"We've been fortunate to have the most pro-gun state and the most pro-business state in the country and I told my friends who are at Remington, the CEO, George Kollitides, 'You will not make a better business decision in your lifetime other than to come to the state of Alabama,' NRA President Jim Porter told the Birmingham Business Journal.

Porter, who lives in Birmingham, spoke Tuesday to the Birmingham Kiwanis Club. He Remington's move "opens the door for opportunity."

"There are a lot of things that we are working on now for the state," he told the BBJ. (You can see his full interview with the BBJ here.)

Remington announced earlier this year it was opening a facility at property near the Huntsville International Airport. In May, the company said it would move two lines currently being produced in New York, along with six subsidiary operations from throughout the country, to Alabama.

Once complete, the company is expected to have about 2,000 employees.

Porter's comments come on the heels of similar ones made by lawmakers and gun rights enthusiasts who blame strict firearms laws in New York and other northern states for pushing manufacturers to the south.

Speaking on the NRA News show Cam and Co. in February, Jake McGuigan, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, said other companies will be looking at the gun control laws and business environments in the states where they are located to decide if they will stay.

"Do you blame these companies for (moving)? You have states like Connecticut or New York that act in a hypocritical fashion," McGuigan said. "I don' blame the likes of Beretta or Remington who go to Tennessee or Alabama. They are looking to go to free states."

With the incentives the states are offering "you really can't blame the companies for doing this," he added.