Beretta ARX-160, with optional grenade launcher. (Via Wikipedia)

As Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley continues his push to give his state some of the toughest gun control laws in the United States, he’s getting some pretty fierce pushback from a company that believes it would be one of the most affected. Beretta, the Italian arms maker, is hinting that if O’Malley’s proposal goes through, it might close up its factory in Accokeek, which employs 300 workers and is responsible for, among other production models, the sidearms issued to all active-duty members of the U.S. military.

The Washington Post reports Beretta’s newest model, a civilian version of a military rifle, would be illegal under Maryland’s proposed gun legislation. O’Malley’s bill calls for instating a ban on assault weapons; the federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004 and has not been renewed since.

Speaking to the Maryland General Assembly, Beretta’s general counsel, Jeffrey Reh, reminded lawmakers what happened the last time the state toughened its gun laws, the Post reports:

In testimony this month in Annapolis, Reh, who oversees the plant, warned lawmakers to consider carefully the company’s future. Reh pointed to the last time Maryland ratcheted up gun restrictions in the 1990s: Beretta responded by moving its warehouse operation to Virginia.

“I think they thought we were bluffing” in the 1990s, Reh said. “But Berettas don’t bluff.”

Maryland requires gun manufactures to also register as dealers, and a state senate committee included an exemption for Beretta in O’Malley’s bill, but the company isn’t satisfied. It worries that it might not be able to ship back guns that come in to be serviced.

O’Malley’s bill would also affect the 9-millimeter pistol Beretta supplies to the U.S. military and police departments around the country. Those handguns take 13-round clips, which would be outlawed. Beretta’s newest rifle is a modified version of the ARX-160, which is used by the militaries of Albania, Italy, and Turkmenistan, and is a candidate to succeed the M4 carbine as the standard-issue rifle in the U.S. Army. It is also featured in the Call of Duty video game series, lending to its popularity. The civilian model, which would be sold as the ARX-100, is a .223 caliber semiautomatic rifle.

Jeh had strong words for just how important Beretta is, and why Maryland might not want to cross it. “We literally are part of the arsenal of democracy,” he told the Post.