TC/Arms Lay Off
Thompson Center lays off 66, furloughs 37 in NH
ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) Rifle-maker Thompson Center Arms, one of the largest employers in Rochester, N.H., laid off 66 workers this week and furloughed another 37.
Company owner Smith & Wesson said the layoffs were prompted by a drop in sales of the company's black powder hunting rifles.
The cuts accounted for almost 29 percent of Thompson Center Arms' work force, bringing the number of workers at the factory to roughly 250. That's almost half of what it was just under a year ago.
The company cut 80 jobs in September and 36 last March.
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