Help me pick a state to move to

Which state

  • Vermont

    Votes: 36 35.6%

  • New Hampshire

    Votes: 26 25.7%

  • Pennsylvania

    Votes: 9 8.9%

  • Virginia

    Votes: 30 29.7%
  • Total voters
    101
  • Poll closed .
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R

Robusto

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May 8, 2008
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Hi all. So The wife and I are looking to buy land to build a summer/weekend house on to retire to on in the next 5 years or so, and we are interested in moving to a more rural area. I want to move to a state that has the most freedom. To me this means he best gun laws amongst other things. Because of family concerns, we will be staying in the north east. At the moment we are looking at Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. So if you were in my shoes what state would you choose and why?

Thanks in advance
 
I have a place up in the White Mountains and can tell you it is beautiful in all 4 seasons. It is quiet, peaceful, and gun friendly. I live in MA and whenever I have the time, I go to NH. Vermont has even less gun laws than NH but choose between those two :).
 
Vermont is probably one of the free-est on the list. It's where I'd go if I couldn't go to Montana for some reason.
 
New Hampshire because even though carry permits are required for conceal carry, they are inexpensive compared to other states and don't take long to get. If you have a NH carry permit, you can use it to carry in other states. It is easier and faster to get a carry permit in New Hampshire than it is in Kentucky!

While Vermont does not require a carry permit, you still have to get a out of state permit like Florida and Utah to carry in other states.

Also NH has NFA, Vermont bans silencers. NH has low property taxes. NH allows fireworks even the big stuff, unlike the other three. The spirit of freedom is very high in that state, it might be the freest state in the North East. Open carry is permitted.
 
If you're concerned with concealed carry, Pennsylvania is a "shall issue" state. In other words your county sheriff must issue a "license to carry firearms" unless you have a criminal record. A license costs $30 every five years. The license allows you to carry any firearm concealed or open carry.

If you're a hunter be aware that semi-auto rifles and handguns are prohibited for hunting any animal. Only manually operated firearms are permitted, even for varmints. Semi-auto shotguns are the exception and are permitted for small game only.
 
I will suggest PA since I live here. I will tell you to stay away from the Poconos region. There is a large influx of people from the NYC area that have killed the area. The fact that there is gang violence now is pathetic on their part. I have a place up there and really hate what the region has become over the past decade.

On the hunting regulations. Semiauto shotguns are allowed on anything except deer/bear/elk/fur bearers. Turkey is technically big game here and migratory bird is a separate license that you have to buy. This doesn't bother me as there are no hogs and you don't need a semiauto to hunt any large game in the state.

CCW is very easy to get most places. The closer you get to Philadelphia/Pittsburgh the more hoops you have to jump through. But they will issue.

There is a huge variety of areas within PA with a lot of different terrains and climates. I'd look into that before you purchase land. The south east where I live has a very humid hot climate in the summer. While the center of the state is a lot cooler.


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I've spent a fair bit of time in all four. PA and NH, to my eyes, edge out VT and VA -- slightly -- for gun freedom issues. (Mostly carry restrictions and NFA stuff.) But they are all close to the top of the heap, and all very VERY good.

I'd actually say they're close enough that you might want to look at other factors when deciding. The climate is quite different in NH than it is in VA. It is unlikely that you'd be perfectly comfortable in either place. PA has an enormous variety of geologic, climate, and social variety.

(*PA does not allow non-dealer transfers of handguns between individuals, which might or might not be important to you. That, and the ambiguity of the lawfullness of carrying at elementary and high schools, are the only negatives I can think of.)
 
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Yet another state to move to thread. I just sit in Alaska and chuckle at these:)
East coast? Well that may eliminate SOME of the inevitable dozens of Texas is the best replies.
Gun stuff? Forget the CC angle. You can get that most anywhere. I actually NEED and USE my .375 H&H not just dream about it. Real using gun culture in Alaska, not this should I Buy a AR stuff.
Yes I am proud of Alaska.
 
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Well that may eliminate SOME of the inevitable dozen's of Texas is the best reply's.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, TX really can't compete on gun rights issues. We wish them the best in their efforts, though!
 
Since I live in SE PA, I'm a bit biased toward this state - but I was born and raised in New England so I still consider NH and VT great places to live. Depending on what you are looking for, NH is a little better than PA for some of the reasons already mentioned.
 
If I'm not mistaken, Vermont, while it has the best gun laws of them all, is also the state with the most "socialized" medical system. I guess this could be moot in a couple of years, but it's something to consider.

I'd also rule out Virginia. In order to get to the "good" parts of the state, you're really not in the NE anymore (Southwest Virginia).

I don't know much about New Hampshire.

My vote is for CENTRAL Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is the only state that I've been to where it literally feels like 2 states. I'm originally from central PA and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more freedom-loving group of people. Stay away from Philly and Harrisburg. I greatly enjoy Pittsburgh, but probably wouldn't want to live there.
 
Move to where it all began here-Virginia! Has everything one could possibly need, from mountains and meadows to salt water beaches and fishing. Virginia also seems to lead most of the movements toward pro-gun actions. I grew up in Richmond, what some consider a "smaller, big city". More culturally advanced than most think, and an economic/banking center, also a history buff's dream. Good luck on your search, however Virginia gets my vote, just feels like "home" when you are there.
 
I would choose based on geography, climate, land cost, and tax rates with secondary concerns for gun laws since the states listed are pretty good. I would lean toward a state that has a carry permit system in place since in many cases your resident permit allows you to carry in most other states outside the NE.

Added: If hunting is important to you, then add the convenience factor and available game species. The semi-auto rifle or handgun issue for hunting in PA would not shift my choice one way or the other. I think the PA rule on semi-auto rifles and handguns for hunting is a pre-historic regulation that needs changed.
 
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Lots of Choices

NH,PA, and VT have lots of snow
Property taxes in NH are high, income taxes in VT are high
World class medical centers: Mary Fletcher in Burlington, Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Hanover
We have 70 acres in VT with great views, nice little 1790 house, pm me if you are interested in a test drive.
Good luck.
 
Moving to a state based on gun laws alone is a terrible idea. Define what criteria you want and then look for a place that has it. After looking at climate, social issues (culture, crime, politics, etc), available activities, etc then determine what gun related issues and activities are important to you. Hunting, competitive shooting, long range shooting, concealed carry, open carry, etc. Then ask which state is most conducive to those criteria. You'll probably have to compromise but only you can know what the best choice is.
 
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