Pete's Top Ten Reasons to Stay in a Constitutionaly Unfriendly State
With apologies and acknowledgement to those who have made some of these points already (and David Letterman):
10--Apathy: The American Disease: Easier to complain than do something about it.
9--Comfort: We get set in a place. Perhaps we've been there all our lives. We know all the good restaurants, bars, hunting spots, which preacher we like, where to play golf and where to go flirt with the opposite sex. The thought of trying to re-establish all that and more in a new location strikes fear into many.
8--Aversion To Risk: Face it, most of us have families and it's a big risk to uproot them. What if the kids don’t like their new schools (and they won't--at least at first)? What if our spouses can't make any new friends like they had at home (and they won't, because it takes time to grow friends like that)? What if the housing sucks? What if the water is bad (Trust me, I moved from Seattle to Phoenix and water quality is a BIG issue)? What if.... a million things?
7--Rationalization: "No matter where I go there will be something that I don't like, don't think is fair, and makes me unhappy. Better to stay where I am and live with the issues I already know".
6--Loss of Friends: Any one that has moved away from home knows the loneliness of missing your friends. Those people are not easy to replace. The acquaintances you make in your new home won't fulfill the same role as the friends you knew for XX years for a long time. And while your old friends will still be your friends, talking on the phone and visiting in every year or two won't provide the same companionship.
5---Income: I often see posts along the lines of "If I could only earn the same income in (2A Heaven) as I earn in SoCal..." Frankly, I think this fits into No. 7--Rationalization. Most of those "2A Heaven" states have a more than proportionally lower costs of living to the lower incomes--so it's might even be a net gain. Furthermore, I have never met any one that couldn't get a job if they really wanted one, regardless of the economy. I have never been unemployed, except by choice, since the age of 14.
4--Geography: It matters. I live in Arizona--one of the most "pro" 2A states in the country. I can't stand the weather, I hate being land-locked, and I miss the rain of Seattle. I'd move to a less 2A friendly state in a heartbeat if it were cooler, greener and wetter.
3--Belief and willingness to participate in "The System": One of our THR members’ lives in California and posts often about his activism to change the status quo. Many of us still believe in a government of the people, by the people (forgive me if I have bunged the quote). We can run or we can fight. If it were a mugging, I bet most of us would fight. We should stay home and fight too--in our state local governments. This is truly a noble cause.
2--Family: What if the Governor of Illinois approached you and said "I'll change every gun/2A law in this state to exactly what YOU believe it should be and force every city and county government in the state to comply. All you have to do is let me execute one of your family members, with no repercussions whatsoever for said execution". What would you say? Of course you would refuse! So how can we ask people to move away from their families just to live in 2A friendlier states?
1--Being a Multi-Dimensional Human Being: We are not just gun owners and 2A advocates. "We" are surfers, bikers, mothers, students, artists, lawyers, doctors and bums. Some of us are Democrats, maybe even Socialists. Some of us are hunters while others have never shot anything but paper. Some only own guns they shoot, others buy guns they will never fire. I have never seen a thread on THR without at least one dissenting opinion. If we were truly the people the "enemy" makes us out to be, we would form a formidable coalition--dwarfing the NRA--and take over states. Not one state--several. And we would wield a mighty influence. But we are more than just the "Right Wing Second Amendment Fanatics†our adversaries’ claim--and thank The Almighty Lord. So we stay put in our homes and try to fight for the other passions in our lives--participating in the process our Founding Fathers intended, rather than abandoning whole communities to those that would ignore our rights.
I live in AZ, a very gun friendly state. I plan to move in mid-2004 and while gun rights are a consideration, they are not a deciding factor. I may move back to Washington, possibly Louisiana or Michigan. Possibly overseas, where I would have NO gun rights at all. I believe the experience of a new and different culture is worth the short-term trade off.
In closing, I understand many of the "Top Ten" overlap. However, I felt the items had merit both independently and jointly. My apologies if it is too redundant or pedantic.
Thank you for your time and attention,
Peter
