Gov. Mark Gordon and Secretary of State Ed Buchanan are inviting the National Rifle Association to explore relocating its Virginia operation to Wyoming.
The two, in a letter sent to the NRA earlier this month, pointed to the state’s business-friendly tax environment, available workforce and the population’s strong support for Second Amendment rights as reasons to move to Wyoming.
“We embody the ideals that are fundamental to the National Rifle Association,” the letter said. “Wyoming citizens appreciate their freedoms, especially when it comes to their Second Amendment rights.”
The organization has been looking to relocate from Virginia since the beginning of the year, following a bankruptcy declaration. Other states have previously courted the NRA, including West Virginia.
The letter also pointed to other firearm businesses in Wyoming, such as Magpul, Weatherby and Gunwerks.
Gordon is a lifetime member of the NRA and believes the right to bear arms is fundamental. Owning guns was part of a way of life growing up on his family ranch in Kaycee and remains so today, he said.
Gordon also signed multiple pieces of legislation this year that reinforced existing firearms laws in Wyoming, and he has also helped facilitate the relocation of several firearms manufacturing businesses to Wyoming.
“Wyoming citizens value our state’s customs, culture and pro-second amendment laws,” Gordon said in a statement Tuesday. “We will always protect personal freedoms, and those of businesses involved in the firearms industry. All of this, plus our great hunting and other outdoor opportunities, make Wyoming an ideal place for the National Rifle Association to consider home.”