By Brian Daiello.

There is a lot in the news this week about the newly proposed Massachusetts gun laws that have lead for a long time manufacturer to seek a new headquarters in a much more 2nd Amendment friendly state.

With the announcement by Smith & Wesson that they will be moving to Tennessee this raises the issue of what is constitutional and what is unconstitutional and when too much government is not good for business. During the announcement S& W mentioned that 750 jobs would be leaving Massachusetts and relocating to Tennessee.

This also results in families making decisions about uprooting and possibly relocating during a major company headquarters move such as this. It also makes families choose whether or not to relocate to be able to continue working for the company long-term. Unfortunately, it seems that there is a major divide in America on how the 2nd Amendment is viewed and how it impacts overall public health based on the uptick in gun violence across America.

Although there are many different arguments that swirl around the 2nd Amendment we should ask ourselves how much does overarching government and legislation harm working families and cause stress and unrest among these employees during such a move?

Often when corporations choose to relocate it is either for political reasons or financial reasons such as corporate tax shelters or abatements.

There were many reasons cited by Smith & Wesson for the move on their website.

According to a S& W press release, key factors in the decision to move included the following: Support for the Second Amendment Business friendly environment Quality of life for employees Cost of living and affordability Access to higher education institutions Availability of qualified labor for its operations and headquarter functions Favorable location for efficiency of distribution How much government is too much government when considering public health as we consider other such debates like mandatory COVID-19 immunizations across the public and private sectors and how that impacts individual right to work and not have their liberty or privacy rights violated by overreaching government through newly created legislation?

Brian Daiello is a graduate student. He wrote this as a class project.