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CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Magpul Industries has laid off 85 workers who had been hired to help the firearms accessories manufacturer in Wyoming handle exceptional demand for its products last year.
The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/2oFUuHP ) that those who lost their jobs are actually employees of an employment staffing service that places temporary, seasonal and full-time employees at Magpul's manufacturing and distribution facility in Cheyenne.
The employment service is trying to place them in new jobs.
Magpul representative Jon Anderson said the company is nevertheless providing two months of full pay and benefits to the affected workers.
In 2016, Magpul expanded its Cheyenne operations to meet the huge market demand in the firearms industry. However, in the first quarter of 2017, the industry returned to normal demand.
Fears of government limits on guns — some real, some perceived — led to a surge in demand during President Barack Obama's tenure and manufacturers leapt to keep up
Anderson said some firearms companies are struggling to adjust to the change but "that is not the camp Magpul is in."
Growth at Magpul continues in line with demand in 2015 and in keeping with the company's projections, according to Anderson.
Even with the layoffs, Magpul employs 163 workers, well above the 95 employees it had originally envisioned employing by this year when it moved to Cheyenne.
Magpul was originally located in Erie, Colorado, but moved its manufacturing, distribution and shipping services to Cheyenne after Colorado enacted stricter gun control laws.
Ron Gullberg, spokesman for the Wyoming Business Council, said changing market conditions need to be kept in perspective.
"There are going to be years when there are big production demands and then normal years," Gullberg said. "This is a small, but growing industry. I don't see anything but a tremendous upside."
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Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, http://www.wyomingnews.com
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