Best pro-gun states

[Cosmoline]

I may be biased, but Alaska really is the best. Vermont carry without Vermont politics or Mass next door. The best hunting on the continent. Minimal government. Broad and deep gun culture that cuts across party lines. Open carry not only accepted but generally expected anywhere outside the few urban areas.

If AK is out, I'd suggest Montana, Idaho, Wyoming or a similar mountain state. They may or may not have ideal laws, but they have a strong gun culture and what might be called a tradition of liberty that's getting scarce elsewhere. After that I'd go with the southern states, but they tend to have a somewhat more restrictive law and culture than their rep would suggest. No open carry in Texas, for example. After that I'd go with the inland empire. State laws aside, it really is a different place on that side of the Cascades. Though how much longer that will last, I don't know. I'd be leery about moving to VT or NH simply because they're surrounded deep in enemy held territory. If you want to be an activist those would be good choices, as would VA.

 

[rockinrussky]

Virginia

Overall, Virginia is really a decent state for RKBA.
-CCW are shall issue,
-there are no bans on assault rifles or magazine capacity
-no mandatory registration of firearms
-no waiting period
-its perfectly legal to open carry without any sort of a permit (just about the only state in the south where you can do that)

The only really bad law that VA has is being able to buy only one handgun a month

 

[Novus Collectus]

SCott7891:

Also when you buy a pistol you also have to register it with the state police as well if the federal level wasn't intrusive and hard enough to get one.

In MD machine guns are registered; handgun sales are recorded. There is no compulsory registration of handguns. I have eight (non-"antique") handguns and there is no record with the state of MD that I have them because they were not bought within state lines. If there was actual registration that would not be the case.

I also have heard they have banned any importation of ammo via online, I am not 100% sure but I have heard it some places.

Some distributors are confused about an early Montgomery county 1980's law that only registered ammunition dealers could sell there which was held to be invalid by the courts in 1985. The law is still on the books, but it is not in effect and this understandably confuses some companies. Some, or most, online companies will sell and deliver ammo to you.
I totally agree about Mont Co, they suck and if the county did not exist then MD might actually be considered gun friendly.

 

[joffe]

New Hampshire is relatively close geographically to New Jersey compared to some of these.

Open carry near-unregulated - you need a permit to carry loaded in your car.

CCW permits ('pistol/revolver permit') are shall-issue - no fingerprints and such.

No state 'assault weapons ban'. You only have to deal with federal regulations.

Only place off limits for carry are state courts. (Not courthouses, courts, they secure your gun inside the courthouse if you wish) And then there's the federal buildings, federal school zones and national parks but that's going to be around in any state..

My above post. After reading some posts here, I forgot a few things. Permits cost $10 and $20 for res and nonres respectively. There is no requirement for a state-approved course. There is no waiting period when buying a gun. Private sales are legislated, so the buyer has to either hold a permit or be 'personally known' to the seller and known not to be ineligible to own a handgun (i.e. a felon). It is still entirely private, no notification, registration or going via FFLs.

 

[Scott7891]

Thanks for the information. I'll see if I can get some good ammo deals on GunBroker then.

 

[hotsauce]

South Carolina is'nt too bad either.

 

[novaDAK]

Virginia

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overall, Virginia is really a decent state for RKBA.
-CCW are shall issue,
-there are no bans on assault rifles or magazine capacity
-no mandatory registration of firearms
-no waiting period
-its perfectly legal to open carry without any sort of a permit (just about the only state in the south where you can do that)

The only really bad law that VA has is being able to buy only one handgun a month

The only other bad thing about VA is that they require 3 forms of ID to purchase "assault weapons" like the unneutered AKs (the ones with all the goodies )
But as soon as I prove to them I was born I walk out of the greatest gunshow in the world with an AK (in northern VA we have the Nation's gun show, over 1000 tables )

 

[defjon]

I'll be in a similar situation after I get my student loans paid off. I hate giving so much money to the state I'm in! Anyway...I want to move to a state that has inacted some kind of law after NOLA...if things get hairy, I don't want anyone knocking on my door and snatching up my 1911 and lever action, carting me off to some super dome so's I can be "safe" .

Which states have passed laws that forbid the confiscations of private weapons in disasters?

 

[defjon]

someone told me Arizona passed a law, and maybe florida.

 

[KenpoProfessor]

AAAAAAIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRR UUUUUUUHHHHHH ZZZZZOOOOOONNNNNN UUUUUUHHHHH.

Sorry, hooked on phonices worked for me LOL.

Have a great gun carryin' (open or concealed) day

Clyde

 

[B. Adams]

I live in South Dakota. As long as a gun is legal at the federal level it's legal here with no additional restrictions, open carry is legal, any resident who can legally buy a gun can easily get a "Permit to Carry a Concealed Pistol" (for $10 every 4 years with absolutely no training), the permit gets you out of the waiting period for handguns (but not the NICS check), and there's statewide preemption. You can carry everywhere except K-12 schools, bars, courthouses, federal buildings and national parks (of course ), and you can't carry while "intoxicated." You can carry on a motorcycle or ATV, but not on a snowmobile.

But you can carry pretty much everywhere, including sporting events, churches, gunshows, other people's houses without getting permission, and all the other ridiculous places that carry is restricted in some other states. The only restriction that affects me occasionally is the one against carry in bars, but I do understand the reasoning. I still wish they would change it though. I don't really understand the restriction against carrying on a snowmobile, and I think that should probably change, but since I don't have a snowmobile I'm not sure it's really an issue I should get involved in.

My girlfriend got her Iowa driver's license changed to South Dakota, and got her carry permit the same day. How many states will let you do that?

There's not much to do in South Dakota, but I think the gun laws are really good.

 

[revjen45]

"Texas. Or New Mexico, where you have millions of acres to hunt."
Actually, most of the hunting land in TX is privately owned and you pay thru the nose to hunt.

 

[cbsbyte]

Best two states are Vermont and Alaska.

 

[ptmmatssc]

Maine, The brady bunch gives ME a "D-" for gun control.
ME shall issue CWL and they will sign AFT form 1's and 4's for any thing for a 22LR suppressor to a M203 40mm launcher.
Note: Your consealed weapon doesn't have to be a "hand gun", it was left very open

Yup , pretty decent state for gunnies . As said above , shall issue , can have all the stamp related toys, can open carry, and no AWB or other restrictions . It is true the concealed permit does NOT limit you to just a hand gun , but in order to carry a concealed long arm you would have to unload it every time you got in your vehicle , as well as have it in plain sight or locked in a gun case. Real PITA .

 

[Pushrod]

I second SCott7891 on West Virginia being gun friendly and getting out of Maryland. Maryland seems to be going the opposite of most states and every year tries to push for more anti-gun legislation. To purchase a handgun in this state it has to come with a fired round and intrical lock which most companies either don't have or charge a bunch more money for.

West Virginia grants it's citizens unfettered freedom like it was meant to be enjoyed. With in five years I plan on being a WV citizen an no longer part of the Socialist state of Maryland.

 

[Voerelover]

Georgia is ok but slipping as we get to new elections

HI:
I am here in Atlanta Georgia! We have always been gun friendly! This is of course the home of many class III dealers and manufactors. Well we are home of the old' mack full autos m-10 m11 ect!
I just recently got my carry permit renewed, it has always been very easy! But not anymore! Man if you got an out standing parking ticket from 1926, it must be cleared up before you can get a renewal. Price for license has doubled in cost! I mean in Georgia for renewal you better be able to account for everything you ever did no matter how small it was! I passed but know many people who were turned down who had previousley had license for as long as 15 to 20 years! kinda late and stupid to turn them down now I think! But the closer to atlanta you live the worse gun control seems to be. For a carry license they treat you like you were a nut job, jusk for asking for a renewal!
I hope in the future politicans from somewhere help to save our gun rights! I can see things changing in Georgia from year to year!
I am sure other states are the same, we have always been free in the old south. But they are trying to chip away at our gun rights and I am worried! I never see many pro people on tv anymore! Like now the line is blured were guns that were once semi auto firearms, are now being called semi auto Machine guns! WOW! Any one in the old south who is more enlightened than me please explain it! Before we get like the peoples republic of California! I am just waiting for a four round bolt action deer rifle with a scope. To be called a sniper rifle by our wonderful TV press, as most News people are so good at explaining to gun owners, their concern to just help us stay safe! HA! HA!

 

[scurtis_34471]

I may have to move from Florida to Colorado in a year or two and I've been reading up on their laws. Its not quite as good as Florida, but Colorado is generally not too bad. Brady gives them a solid D.

 

[Mannix]

Minnesota ain't great, but it's better than Iowa or Wisconsin.

For the NFA items, C&R MG's only, no suppressors.

Permits to carry a pistol are shall issue, though you do have to take a class, the minimum age is 21(), and here in the twin cities the authorities really drag their feet. On the plus side it allows you to OC and CC, which is nice. Having the permit also exempts you from 624.7181, allowing you to carry long arms in public places(Of course, being legal and accepted as normal are two different things).

We do unfortunately have a 7 day waiting period for handguns and "semiautomatic military-style assault weapons", but it does not apply to people who hold a carry or purchase permit. The person buying from a private seller also needs a permit or the seller needs to report the sale to the police and they run a background check, this whole process takes 7 days.

Also auto knives are illegal accept when kept in the home as a collector's piece.

We also have state preemption.

I'm looking into moving to SD after I'm done with school(out of state tuition SUCKS).

 

[ilcylic]

Alaska certainly has the best laws, but New Mexico isn't nearly as cold. (Which is either a feature or a bug, depending on which way your temperature tolerance skews.)

All NFA items are legal here. We have open and concealed carry. We're an RTC state. We just recently passed a law separating CCW in places that sell alcohol vs: places that serve alcohol. (The former is legal to carry in, the latter, not.) The city of Albuquerque maintains a shooting range that is open to the public, which doesn't mean much itself, but does give some indication as to the general attitude towards firearms around here.

And most of our politicians are pretty good about firearms. Heck, we even have pro-gun Democrats in the state Senate.

 

[Fletchette]

Not only did Wyoming get an "F" from the Brady nazis, the states attorney general, with the governors open support, is sueing the BATF for violating the "commerce clause". The BATF is trying to use the commerce clause to say that Wyoming does not have the authority to expunge misdemeanor convictions so citizens can own guns again. Wyoming disagrees. State laws are state laws.

I am so proud of my state!

 

[telomerase]

Vermont is good, but their laws are leftover from when Vermonters themselves were good. NH has actually improved its gun laws in the last couple years, and is getting better.

If you move to IL you'll need this site.

 

[Nomoney]

I cast my vote for MT, which is where I live. No laws against guns in cars, state law that mandates no local government infringments, and a very gun friendly culture. It's not considered concealed if it's in a purse or backpack (hence no ccw required), and we are shall-issue state anyway.
About the only bad law I can think of is the restriction on carrying into a place serving alcohol for consumption on the premises.

 

[Rossshady120]

FL. has the stand your right act im pretty sure its the only state with that kind of act, the do not retreat act

 

[amper]

May I invite you to stay in New Jersey? We need more pro-liberty citizens here to help us throw off the tyrannical yoke of the currently enacted firearms regulations. Maybe with this spate of corruption, we stand a chance of getting rid of the nannys in the statehouse.

I must admit, I'm thinking about leaving NJ, too. Tops on my list are PA (outside of Philadelphia), coastal NH, coastal VT, or coastal Maine. I lived in Philadelphia for seven years prior to moving (back) to NJ, but I never had a gun there because of my girlfriend didn't like guns. What an opportunity I missed! I never really had cause to examine the firearms laws in NJ before I moved here. If I had, I would have declined the idea.

When I was a child in NJ, my mom got the FID and bought BB Guns for my brother and me. I always had a gun, so I never thought much about the legal ramifications.

 

[The-Fly]

Alaska or the mountain west is the place to go for good gun laws. Different states will have minor pro's or con's, but hard to go wrong in any of em really.