There's sometimes a bit of difference between theory and practice, so let me share a few ideas.
I lived in the NE for years, being a NJ resident, a RI resident, lived in VT for a year, and having gun enthusiast friends in NY, CT, Mass, VT, PA, and NH.
I now reside in Wisconsin as my legal home state, but am in Florida about 4 months a year and in California about another 3 months a year. I also spend about 6 weeks a year in Maryland flying with the Navy there and I shoot there too. The bottom line is that I shoot and make friends in the gun communities wherever I go.
In the NE, New Jersey is by far the worst *in practice*. Firearms ID taking 2-6 months to get before you can buy anything, another per-gun permit for handguns, handgun rationing, zero CCW issuances, state law prohibits even a C&R FFL to be used, zero NFA legality, high cap bans, absolutely anti gun sentiment everywhere, zero legal posession in a vehicle unless you are traveling DIRECTLY either to or from a range, etc., etc., etc... Even with all of those things I still enjoyed a good shooting hobby there for years. I guess we adapt, improvise, and overcome. I walked to the police station first thing on my 18th birthday for my ID card there, so I guess you can say 've been shooting there as long as I could.
In Rhode Island I was surprised at the "lenient" gun culture. Yeah... I had to wait 7 days for a purchase. Big Deal. Compared to what I went thru in NJ that was a piece of cake. And I got a CCW thru my local PD there, and it was OK. So to compare RI to NJ... well, there's no comparison. I got both Mass and CT non-resident CCW's and on top of my non-resident Florida CCW had a pretty good deal carry-wise when I lived there. Interesting tidbit, if you have a CCW from one state (say Mass) and are driving thru RI to another place where your CCW`is valid (like passing thru a RI town driving from one town in Mass to another) you can carry in your car as long as you don't get out. So there are some good points there too.
When I lived in RI my shooting buddies were mostly from Mass and CT. Guess what? They all had CCW's from their states too. Yeah, they had hassles with this and that, but compared to NJ? Not even close.
My experience in MD is not as extensive, but I have spent many hours at a friendly LGS just outside of the base and have bought rifles there. No CCW's, but at the same time you can actually BUY a firearm there. Compared to NJ... well... you can actually buy a gun in MD, so that's a big plus.
My family has a farm in PA, right on the NY line. I used to hunt there when I could. PA, of course, is a guin friendly place. But I noticed something about the NY residents who came down to visit and shoot. They all had CCW's too. And could buy whatever they wanted at the LGS when they felt like it. NYC was hundreds of miles away and none of that nonsense had filtered into the cow pastures.
Now I'm in Wisconsin. Not a lot to be said about there except for some arcane nonsense that we need to go thru to buy a machinegun. Other NFA stuff is easy. CCW's are shall-issue. Paradise Found. Florida is the same way. Only... not so fast: There's really noplace to actually shoot. All land is private, ranges are saturated with people, and there's noplace to just set up and shoot cans. <sigh>... I don't much like formal ranges or waiting in line for a pistol lane at the range at the LGS where it's always busy.
California: I live here months at a time when I am flying. I shoot in the desert, all of my friends here have CCW's (Kern County), and for shooting it's an excellent place. It's FAR better than Wisconsin for SHOOTING, as you can actually find a spot to shoot. We drive into the Mojave, pick a road, drive the truck a mile, set up and shoot. I shoot black powder, a neutered AR-15, and have a lot of fun with long range rifle shooting. Compared to NJ it's PARADISE. If I wanted to push the issue I could probably get a CCW, as the sheriff here issues them with a smile, and CA residency is not challenged too badly for folks who "live" here. Get a library card and you're in. If you like to SHOOT, as compared to being able to buy any sort of gun that you want, this is a great place.
So you can list all of the states that you like, based on the theory of their laws, but from a practical standpoint none are*nearly* as bad in my experience (which does not include Hawaii, obviously) as New Jersey. I'd live in California in a heartbeat for access to shooting sports. I'd prefer to live in Massachusetts compared to NJ. RI's only problem is that it's too darned small for a CCW to mean much, and there's no reciprocity. Good news is that Mass and CT give out non-resident CCW's, which makes things better.
NJ stands out. It's BAD there. 40+ years of it and I'll never go back. There's no saving it: If you are a shooter, I entreat you to leave.
With the new laws in CT and NY, they are getting "close" to NJ, but they are not even in the same league.... (yet).
Willie
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