Alabama's new Remington firearms plant is up and running, and the first gun to bear the Huntsville stamp is a pocket .380-cal. pistol being marketed to women as well as men.

That's the word from the NRA Annual Meeting in Nashville Friday where Remington proudly showed off the small semi-automatic model RM380 with "Huntsville" stamped on the right side.

The pistol, which holds six cartridges in a magazine with room for a seventh in the chamber, is apparently also being made in Charlotte, N.C., if a giant poster for the handgun is evidence. The picture shows the new handgun with "Charlotte" stamped on its side.

In Nashville, the RM380 was displayed in a large handgun section of Remington's display and also in a smaller area designed for and staffed by women to appeal to women shooters.

George Kollitides, chairman and CEO of Remington's parent company the Freedom Group, said the company is also making rifles in Alabama.

"We are up and running," Kollitides said in a brief interview. "We started producing rifles and pistols about a month ago and now we're ramping that production up. We're looking to continue to hire and grow that business."

Kollitides said the company's reception in Alabama has been everything it hoped for. "We're really incredibly proud to be in Huntsville," Kollitides said. "The community has supported us incredibly. We feel so welcome there. The quality of the workforce we've been able to recruit has been fantastic."

Kollitides also discussed his company's experience in Alabama with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal in a meet-and-greet in the company's sprawling exhibit here at the Nasvhille Music City Center.

Jindal was overheard asking Kollitides how the company's experience was going - Kollitides said very well - and commenting on Alabama's snagging of the prize recruiting target.

"I know everybody's calling up Bentley and asking how he did it," Jindal joked, referring to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley.

Jindal and Kollitides spent several minutes discussing the possible move south to more gun-friendly states by other companies like Remington.

Updated April 11, 2015 to change names for certain parts of the handgun