There is no two ways about it: the announcement that Smith & Wesson was moving 550 jobs and their headquarters was a gut punch.

It was a punch to the employees who now must figure out what they should do. It was a kick in the throat to any local vendor who does business with the company. It was a message of continual political divide in this country.

Yes, this was framed as politics, but that was clearly only part of the decision. It is my opinion that moving to a state that describes itself as a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” is as equally important as the fact the cost of doing business and living is less in Tennessee than it is in Massachusetts.

Now, before you assume that as a liberal I would welcome the partial departure of the company from Massachusetts, allow me to say the following:

• Under capitalism, businesses should be run to maximize profits. We all want to make money. I am a capitalist. I want money. I don’t criticize others that do as well.

• I personally support the legal ownership of guns. I believe in gun education. Hunters can hunt, marksmen can compete and people can have a legal gun safely stored at home for defense. I don’t own a gun, probably never will, but I don’t condemn those that do.

• I don’t think that people parading around supermarkets armed to-the-teeth in other states are patriots protecting Constitutional rights. I think they are would-be bullies.

• The truth that has broken so many hearts is that easy access to guns, through either illegal or legal means, have cost so many terrible, preventable deaths in this country. Mass shootings have become numbingly commonplace. It’s inconceivable.

So, is there anything we can learn from this incident? I think so.

First, never underestimate the competition between states for jobs. We are like 50 little countries and while there may be some regional cooperation, in this country it’s every person and every state for themselves.

Could we have done more to keep Smith & Wesson here? I’m not sure, but look at how we treat incoming companies. Remember how MGM Springfield was treated in terms of tax breaks? Look at the deal brewing in Westfield for the proposed data center.

Local governments want to land those jobs and it’s often up to the deal they are offered. Local governments know it’s not just the jobs a company offers. It’s also the local vendors they use. It’s how a company wishes to be part of the community in terms of charitable activity. It’s the idea of a company becoming a neighbor, adding not just jobs and taxes, but something more.

There are many examples of local companies that have become integral parts of many towns and cities here in Western Massachusetts. We are lucky to have good business neighbors.

I could not see the General Court and the governor passing the bill that supposedly lit the fuse. I think it was dead when introduced.

Smith & Wesson leadership, however, decided that instead of attempting to influence legislators they would just go someplace else where the grass is supposedly greener.

We have to acknowledge that keeping a large business is just as important as luring a business here.

Here is another lesson that is worth discussing: we all hunger for that large business that we believe will be a game-changer in a community, but in fact it is small businesses and micro-businesses that make up a majority of the jobs created in this country.

Perhaps the Smith & Wesson decision should be another wake-up call to support small business even more than what is being done now. With all of the funds from the federal government to help businesses come out of the pandemic, the emphasis I think should be on small companies.

I suppose the glass half full aspect of this story is that we still will have 1,000 or so Smith & Wesson jobs here. The company will still have a considerable presence locally. I believe we should be bracing for another downsizing, though, that should happen in five years or so after the company has settled into the new location. I hope area elected officials and local business leaders will start thinking of a plan to try to convince the company to stay or to find replacements for it.

The clock is ticking.