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November 19, 2019

New Britain gunmaker moving to Wyoming

HBJ File Photo Stag Arms manufactures its guns out of two buildings on John Downey Drive in New Britain. The company on Monday said it plans to move its operations to Wyoming.
By Sean Teehan

New Britain-based gun manufacturer Stag Arms on Monday announced it will move its headquarters to Cheyenne, Wyoming, a state with more gun-friendly laws.

The company also said it appointed as president Chad Larsen, who previously led new product development at Aero Precision LLC, a Tacoma, Wash., company that manufacturers AR-15 rifle components.

“We decided it was time to do a complete refresh of the company,” said Elie Azar, founder and CEO of White Wolf Capital LLC, which owns a controlling interest in Stag Arms. 

“We needed to solve for three things: visionary customer-centric leadership, a business-friendly, pro-growth economic environment, and a cultural climate that reflects Stag’s brand image of independence and free spiritedness,” Azar continued.

In addition to having more friendly gun laws, Wyoming is a destination for outdoor recreation, including hunting and shooting sports, Azar said. 

According to the U.S. Justice Department’s latest figures, Stag Arms manufactured nearly 11,000 rifles in 2017. The company has operated in New Britain for about 15 years, according to Guns.com. It’s the second largest riflemaker in Connecticut behind Colt in West Hartford.

The move to Wyoming comes just a few years after Stag Arms’ former CEO came under legal fire.

In Dec. 2015, Stag Arms’ CEO Mark Malkowski pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court after the company was caught manufacturing unserialized firearms. Malkowski also pleaded guilty to felony possession of a machine gun and accepted a lifetime ban on any executive leadership of a gunmaker.

Stag Arms was acquired months later by private equity firm White Wolf Capital. The company at the time said it planned to continue operating in New Britain.

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