Speaking FOR California
I was born in Wisconsin, my friends, one of those wonderful Boy-Scout, every-kid-is-raised-with-a-gun, Hunting-by-12, states. Even though it was common to carry a BB gun on the city streets and shoot it in the city park, we all knew it was illegal to do so -- nobody bothered to enforce the law is all. (The Chief of police lived a block from my house. HIS kids were just like the rest of us)
My class-mates duck-hunted on the way to school in the AM, and half the high school class (including the basketball coach) were nowhere to be found in deer hunting season.
Yet my independent free-men hunting state voted Liberal in 2004 and is one of the last few that has NO CCW permissions of any kind.
I'm getting a little tired of all the ---- errrr- "Grousing" about California.
There's a lot of truth to the complaints about this state. The gun shows have been emasculated, the "roster of approved handguns" is something to fear, and I surely don't like the "What kind of IMAGE are we sending people" yowling by most of our elected representatives,
but California isn't the WORST in the land, not by a long shot.
I bought 7 handguns and 5 rifles in 2004. As there are 2 of that pile I haven't found the time to take to the range yet, I'd say the 30-day-per-handgun law doesn't have to be a huge stumbling block to happiness. (I could have bought 12 --- my problem was selection and $$$, not permits.)
I buy my guns/ammo from any of 5 favorite places within 20 minutes of home in the East Bay, and have begun checking out others in the West and South bay area. Bought Ammo on the web and had it delived to my door without signature.
I'm going to 3 ranges in East SF Bay regularly (again, 20 minute commute max) , and that's only because I haven't bothered to check out at least 4 more I can access with ease. Each of these three has it's good points, but all are frequented by nice people who like what they do and who shoot responsibly. Each has various clubs with their own specialties active in the area. I plan to join some of those clubs when the weather gets nicer.
As everybody knows, Weather is one of our "specialities". The outdoor ranges have shirtsleeve, no bugs, no sweaty-muggy stew-in-your-own-steam LOVELY weather 9 months of the year, and drippy/rainy the other 3.
Please to remember, people, that 45% of this state voted red in the last election. 66% voted to re-elect Barbara Boxer,(Oh the SHAME of it!!) but when I talk to "average person", only a few are gun-fearing liberals. The VAST MAJORITY are: 1) shooters themselves, although perhaps not all that public about it, 2) people who WERE shooters --- and sound interested in possible renewal, and 3) the curious ones.
I worry about the runaway freaking liberal representation we have in Sacramento, and I'm downright embarrassed at what we send to Washington, but here in our state we also have GOA, RKBA, Jim March -- and Arnie -- doing what is possible to offset them and to bring a breath of sanity back.
We already have several counties that are VERY reasonable about CCW and a few that are essentially "Shall issue". (unfortunately, they are a lot more than 20 minutes away from here, sigh!!!) These people offer hope we will have a state-wide mandatory CCW law one of these fine days.
Note; The Arnie-bashers don't tell you that he saved our butts by vetoing 3 of 4 nasty anti-gun laws our elected representatives passed, and did not veto the 4th. I'm not clear on how this made him the bad guy of the gun-world.
Seems to me our responsibility is to get decent laws passed in the first place, not to criticize somebody for failing to veto everything the people we elect choose to put on his desk. Also seems to me we don't live up to that responsibility by complaining how we suffer on forums and yowling that we should just leave.
Fud.
unless you know God...
