While gun makers flee, their top lobbyist stays in “Gun Valley.”

It’s ironic that the firearms industry’s chief trade group is located only a couple of miles from Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, where 27 people were shot to death in December 2012. Since that awful day, The Constitution State has promoted itself as a leader in restricting the right of the people to possess firearms.

Has the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) considered relocating to a more gun-friendly state, or is it more important for the shooting sports leadership to remain in Connecticut and press for Second Amendment rights?

NSSF director of public affairs Mike Bazinet said relocation has been discussed, but the Connecticut Valley was once considered “the arsenal of democracy.” Guns have been manufactured there since 1797 — even before Eli Whitney invented a system of precision manufacturing with interchangeable parts.

Bazinet said a number of corporations have moved based on a gun-friendly environment. But NSSF has members and important issues to work on in all 50 states and has no plans to relocate at this time.

“We are, however, expanding our government affairs office in Washington, D.C.,” he said.