ELYRIA — Lorain County Commissioner Tom Williams said Wednesday that the county is in the running as a possible home for two gun manufacturers looking to relocate in the wake of a flurry of gun laws passed around the nation after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December.

Williams began sending out letters to gun makers earlier this year trying to lure their manufacturing facilities to Lorain County. He received a letter from Colt's Manufacturing Co. in May that stated the company was open to learning what the county had to offer.

Williams confirmed Wednesday that Colt is still looking at Lorain County, along with other sites in Ohio. He said the company might be a good fit at the closed National Gypsum plant in Lorain or at other locations, possibly in Avon or Avon Lake.

Colt would bring with it 200 to 300 jobs, Williams said.

He said a second company, which he declined to identify, also has expressed an interest in Lorain County. That entity, which has a signed agreement not to be named with the controversial JobsOhio development company, has a payroll of around $85 million and would bring with it 800 to 1,000 jobs, Williams said.