Moving CA->TX, advice?

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Welcome to Dallas!

I made the same move at this time last year. Best move I ever made.
I usually shoot at Bullet Trap or Garland public range.

Where in the dallas area are you looking to go? Feel free to give me A PM if you have any questions about anything, being a recent california ex-patriate.
 
. I scratch my head at things like the fact that grocery stores in Texas don't seem to sell alcohol, or seeing products in stores covered up on Sundays because of the blue laws, but I can deal with that.
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It's the Baptists, but things are better than they used to be. They are speaking to each other in the liquor stores now..... (it's a joke OK?, please don't anyone get bent).
 
Don't know if this has been covered or not, but:

wdlsguy said:
I think you have to live here for 6 months to apply for a CHL.
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Not any more. You can apply as soon as you have a Texas DL.
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This is incorrect, as per the Texas DPS site:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/ftp/forms/ls-16.pdf
GC §411.172. ELIGIBILITY. (a) A person is eligible for a license to
carry a concealed handgun if the person:
(1) is a legal resident of this state for the six-month period
preceding the date of application under this subchapter or is otherwise
eligible for a license under Section 411.173(a);


So you do have to be here for a period of time before applying, but at least they don't require you to live here for YEARS before allowing application. The course of fire is easy (if you're familiar with your firearm(s)), as is the classroom portion. Piece of cake.

Welcome to Texas, you'll be glad you came!

Kat
 
Believe it or not there are some affordable homes in Addison

By affordable, I mean around 200,000.00 or less. There are also homes to rent or lease there. Hope that's not too much. Look at the neighborhoods south of Beltway and north of Spring Valley Rd., between Midway and Marsh Ln. There are some really nice smaller homes there. The neighborhood is great and very safe. If you are a citizen of Addison, you automatically are entitled to an exclusive membership in their community health club (10.00 per year), which I understand is very nice. Also, property taxes in Addison are among the lowest in the area, due to the number of businesses and restaurants (and bars) in that town. Give it a look.

I noticed your comment about grocery stores not selling alcohol. It's true that you can't buy liquor at anything except a liquor store, which also sells beer and wine. It's true that our laws concerning alcohol can seem pretty strange. Oddly enough, most of the suburbs like Plano or Flower Mound DO sell beer and wine in the grocery stores, while many (but not all) grocery stores in Dallas do not. I'm afraid you'll just have to get used to it. Still not a bad place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit here.
 
No, that's wrong... after 12 years of that I'm totally burned out by it and want something closer.
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The bad news is, you will either have to spend some serious money to get the kind of acreage you are looking for, or make that drive kind of drive. I recommend looking in far north Garland, Sachse or Wylie. The drive would be about 30-45 minutes to Addison taking the George Bush and North Tollways. The nice part of living in these communities is how close you would be to Bullet Trap, Garland Public Range and several decent gun stores.
 
The question was asked about local cities making their own rules about CHL's. They tried in the past, but the State has jurisdiction over this concerning the cities. The big ones like Houston and Dallas have tried to make their own rules, but the legislature (which meets in regular session for 6 months every 2 years:D ) has hammered the cities by clarifying where a hand gun an and cannot be carried. The cities cannot use the "30.06" rule here to ban weapons. The State has told the cities what is legal and what is not.

My statement about carrying a loaded rifle or shot gun in your back seat is not a practical thing of course. I only stated that to let you know how "gun friendly" Texas actually is. I carry every day, and usually have more than one weapon available. My wife calls me "the origional boy scout", as I always try to be prepared.:scrutiny: :D
 
Sid, I got my CHL after living in Texas for less than 2 months.

Not sure where you got your quote of the law from, but it HAS since changed, even though the paperwork has not.
 
The big ones like Houston and Dallas have tried to make their own rules, but the legislature (which meets in regular session for 6 months every 2 years ) has hammered the cities by clarifying where a hand gun an and cannot be carried.
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I think Dallas finally gave up on all that. I'm not sure about Houston.

It's better than it used to be for sure.
 
So you do have to be here for a period of time before applying.
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GC §411.173. NONRESIDENT LICENSE.
(a) The department by rule shall establish a procedure for a person who meets the eligibility requirements of this subchapter other than the residency requirement established by Section 411.172(a)(1) to obtain a license under this subchapter if the person is a legal resident of a state another state or if the person relocates to this state with the intent to establish residency in this state.
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http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/ftp/forms/ls-16.pdf
 
Well, I live about an hour northwest of the DFW airport. I have a little over 6.5 acres, and can shoot on my property if so I desire. Property will be cheap compared to California. Oh, and while it's not officially listed yet, I'll be more than happy to sell my place if the right offer comes along.
 
In no particular order...

I'm glad to hear that there aren't wierd local rules and laws to contend with. Overall it seems a very sane place (disregarding weird alcohol laws) but you never know.

I'm definitely going to go after a CHL shortly after moving out here... probably immediately after purchasing a can't-get-it-in-CA pistol of some sort. As I've probably mentioned, I live in a part of CA where CCW's are fairly easy to get, but it's still a $400/yr proposition from what I can tell, and I'm just not that civic-minded.

Dragongoddess... I will most likely be driving through at some point... not sure when yet. I love cruising through wide open spaces though... reminds me of going out on the ocean where there's nothing out to the horizon but waves... a great experience IMO.

I'm probably going to pick something closer to town, even on a smaller lot. One fly in that ointment... one of my hobby projects is building an airplane, which involves quite a bit of riveting... RATATATTAT ... hearing protection, and space or tolerant neighbors, required. In general I'm just hoping to find some place inexpensive even if it means compromizes in drive distance or size of property. I know, that's not very Californian of me... "we" seem to have the habit of buying places that are cheap by CA standards but very expensive in the local market.. I'm not doing that. Two reasons... 1) I'm not selling my CA house/cashing out my equity so no huge cash influx for me so I can't afford to play the drunken sailor, and, 2) TX property taxes. Property taxes here seem... well, they seem absurdly high by Californian standards actually. That's one of my big reality checks so far. Places I've checked in Addison with a $200,000 assessed value have about $5500/yr in property taxes! My place in CA has an assessed value of about $150K and I pay $1800ish/yr... but that's an incomplete picture... the actual value of my place in CA is significantly higher than 150K or even 200K but the assessed value can't go up more than 2% per year (until I sell it) so the fact that I bought 12 years ago really works for me. The taxes on a place in Addison will go up 5-10% per year (assuming the property values go up) so in 5 years that $5500/yr could become $7500 or even $8800! :what: I guess that's what happens when you don't have an income tax... but it's definitely having a chilling effect on me. :(

Only problem now is I have another week and a half before I go back to California, and probably another month and a half or two months from then before I actually move... in the mean time I'll have to satisfy myself with the memory of seeing used AR-15's on racks alongside schmidt rubens and muzzleloaders out where anyone can pick them up at Cabela's, and the knowledge that soon I'll be in a place where I'm trusted to buy any firearm the Federal Govt. trusts me to buy.
 
The property tax issue is one of those things we are forced to deal with in Texas. What makes it easier to deal with is the lack of an income tax.

Let me know when you are headed this way. El Paso is a good overnight stop since Dallas is about 12 hours from here by auto at the speed limit.
I can at least get you pointed to the proper places to eat and if the stay is longer then there is the Rod and Gun club at Ft. Bliss.
 
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Save up lots of money to buy the goodies deemed too evil for California peons to possess. Like regular AR15s and M1As with *GASP* flash hiders.

I keep hearing how good the Dallas Market Hall gun show is, so that's a bonus.

Also get ready to start looking for a sheriff to sign off on NFA goodies or set yourself up a LLC or living trust.

:p
 
Bachman pawn, Sportsmans Warehouse Bullet Trap Cabelas Bass Pro Shop Big D, there are many of them out here just google and Welcome to the DFW
 
TX vs CA - -

Retired in CA and moved "back home" to East Texas, where I grew up. Found the gun laws lots less restrictive but, oddly, since I have only (and only want) hunting type guns it made no real difference to me.

What I found was that there were gun ranges, same as CA, but you couldn't go hunting, even for small game, unless you were rich or employed as an oil company executive. All the land is posted and there isn't any public land to speak of.

You used to be able to get "Dove and Quail" shooting leases. Deer, ducks and pigs were always more expensive but now the big companies have bought those up, too, for their executives and guests.

My free trout fishing on public streams was gone, too. Having no use for (and no interest in joining) the Black Rifle Brigade, I came back to CA. I will admit I picked a CA county where concealed carry is easy to obtain and I'm nearly on the junction of two National Forests.

You get some things and give up others, I guess.

GrayBear
 
Before you go, get a lifetime CA hunting license. Then you can always come here and hunt public land.
 
In no particular order...

I'm glad to hear that there aren't wierd local rules and laws to contend with. Overall it seems a very sane place (disregarding weird alcohol laws) but you never know.

I'm definitely going to go after a CHL shortly after moving out here... probably immediately after purchasing a can't-get-it-in-CA pistol of some sort. As I've probably mentioned, I live in a part of CA where CCW's are fairly easy to get, but it's still a $400/yr proposition from what I can tell, and I'm just not that civic-minded.

Dragongoddess... I will most likely be driving through at some point... not sure when yet. I love cruising through wide open spaces though... reminds me of going out on the ocean where there's nothing out to the horizon but waves... a great experience IMO.

I'm probably going to pick something closer to town, even on a smaller lot. One fly in that ointment... one of my hobby projects is building an airplane, which involves quite a bit of riveting... RATATATTAT ... hearing protection, and space or tolerant neighbors, required. In general I'm just hoping to find some place inexpensive even if it means compromizes in drive distance or size of property. I know, that's not very Californian of me... "we" seem to have the habit of buying places that are cheap by CA standards but very expensive in the local market.. I'm not doing that. Two reasons... 1) I'm not selling my CA house/cashing out my equity so no huge cash influx for me so I can't afford to play the drunken sailor, and, 2) TX property taxes. Property taxes here seem... well, they seem absurdly high by Californian standards actually. That's one of my big reality checks so far. Places I've checked in Addison with a $200,000 assessed value have about $5500/yr in property taxes! My place in CA has an assessed value of about $150K and I pay $1800ish/yr... but that's an incomplete picture... the actual value of my place in CA is significantly higher than 150K or even 200K but the assessed value can't go up more than 2% per year (until I sell it) so the fact that I bought 12 years ago really works for me. The taxes on a place in Addison will go up 5-10% per year (assuming the property values go up) so in 5 years that $5500/yr could become $7500 or even $8800! I guess that's what happens when you don't have an income tax... but it's definitely having a chilling effect on me.

Only problem now is I have another week and a half before I go back to California, and probably another month and a half or two months from then before I actually move... in the mean time I'll have to satisfy myself with the memory of seeing used AR-15's on racks alongside schmidt rubens and muzzleloaders out where anyone can pick them up at Cabela's, and the knowledge that soon I'll be in a place where I'm trusted to buy any firearm the Federal Govt. trusts me to buy.
__________________
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This is a good reason why to look at rural property. My county taxes barely exceeded $300. I haven't seen the 2006 school tax sheet yet, and my other tax statements are buried in a box somplace. State laws apparently prohibit municipalities from exceeding a 2% cap on sales taxes. Most places that I've visited cap at 8.25% sales tax, and the state charges 6%. The various cities then use property taxes to make up the difference in their budgets.
 
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