Good southern state for a gunowner?

[goon]

I am thinking that I want to move south. PA is just too cold for too long and the employment outlook is less than ideal.
I have been thinking about maybe either Tennessee or Georgia. What are the gun laws and hunting laws like in these states?
Also, I have never been below the Mason-Dixon line. Do southerners discriminate against northerners when hiring?
I know this isn't entirely gun related, but it is sort of gun related.
I definitely won't move to an anti gun state like CA, Mass, or NJ. Being a gunowner absolutely affects where I can live an work, so it is relevant.
Sorry if I'm not allowed to post this.

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

I lived in Tennessee for about 13 years, off and on (college, work, etc.) before moving to the left coast.

I haven't been there in seven years which is when I moved.

When I was there, there was no CCW. But it seemed like everyone carried anyway. Nobody cared. Now I think they have CCW.

There was no gun registration. But to buy a handgun, I had to hand carry the paperwork to the local sheriff to get approval. He always approved.

Hunting is lax. You can google a search on Tennessee hunting laws. The problem with deer hunting in my area was that there was an illegal and informal poaching club where the members bet to see who could kill the most deer in a given year. That really hurt the deer population.

But again, even when they got caught, nothing happened because nobody really cared.

You can expect large crowds hunting, however. Unless you manage to find some private land. I did most of my hunting on friend's or friends of friend's land.

And if you move to a rural part of Tennessee, you will always be an outsider. I was in one location for 6 and a half years before they accepted me. At seven years I moved.

But if you move to a city, all bets are off. Nashville, I hear, has been infected with Kommifornians and are absolutely polluting the politics, etc.

 

[DWS1117]

If you haven't yet, check www.packing.org. This site will give you infomation and links pertaining to gun laws for all states. They also have a message board.

We have several members from Tennessee. I am wil to bet at least one will chime in with some info. it seems like it would be a nice place to live.

Of course there is always Texas. You name it we have it here. You want hot and dry? We have it. You want a little snow? We have it. There is everything from mountains to piney woods to wet lands. Lots of good fishing and hunting.

The gun laws here are pretty good. CHLs, while pricey, are easy to abtain. Class 3 is ok (not sure about the whole state). No stupid waiting periods or limits to how many guns you can buy during specified time period. We don't have a lot of the restrictions that some of our more unfortunate brothers and sisters in the more communist states have to endure.

As far discrimination against northerners for jobs, I can offer no insight. I haven't noticed it. There are plenty of northern folk here at my company. Now, we will give you a hard time about your accent. And, yes, you do have one.

 

[Pebcac]

Tennesee guns laws are fine. PinnedAndRecessed's info is a little out of date. No purchasing rules beyond the normal federal ones other than the fact that the background check is done in a TBI database rather than NICS, and thus costs you $10. Tennessee CCW is good, too -- open carry if you prefer it, and lots of reciprocity.

Mississippi is pretty good, too. NICS check, so no $10, and the check (and corresponding wait) is waived if you have a Mississippi CCW permit. Mississippi has recently changed their reciprocity requirements, and reciprocity is quickly increasing as a result. Also, you don't need a permit to carry in your car thanks to a specific provision in Mississippi law.

No AWBs in either state, and you can have Class 3 if you jump through all the federal hoops.

Not too much discrimination against Northerners where I am (Memphis area) since there's a wide spectrum of folks here, so I don't think you'll have trouble with getting work just from "not bein' from 'round here."

Just remember -- it ain't the heat, it's the humidity.

My brother lives in Texas and loves it. I liked it too, but it's a bit hot for me in San Antonio.

 

[Skofnung]

Florida is about as good as it gets when it comes to gun laws in the Southeast.

As far as job discrimination, methinks that this is a product of the "old" south, i.e. pre 1980 south. There are still places like that around, but they don't have very large populations, and jobs would be scarce anyway. I'm sure if you are qualified, you could find a job in this state somewhere...

If you want my advice, if you do move to Florida, stay north of Ocala. The further south you go, the more problems arise, at least in my experience... All except the fishing. The fishing is GREAT down there.

You Yankees outnumber us Crackers in this state now anyway... Might as well have one more that's pro-RKBA.

 

[moredes]

A lot will depend not only on your specific job market, but your decision should consider weather, or more importantly, inclimate weather occurances. I guarantee nobody in FL, Mobile, GA, is real pleased with their choice of abode locale right about now. Whether they were directly affected by the hurricane season (so far) or not, they are certainly suffering and will continue to suffer long-term effects--decreased municiple services, tax increases to help the local governments, a poorer local economy, etc. And the "South" has seasons--tornado, hurricane, T-storms, flash floods, etc. Any one thing can break the bank in a *big* life-altering way, without proper preparation.

Having only been in my new home state for a total of 3 days, before I moved there from across the country, I spent near 60 manhours researching the internet and the local real estate agents/market for feedback on my designated areas. I focussed the "best" area for my preferences by searching archives and demographic surveys. some of my sources were:

National Weather Service Archives
for tornadoes
floods
hail storms
hurricanes
thunderstorms
average cost of property damage per storm (by county)
death rate vs. storm occurance (i.e., tornadoes, etc.)
topo maps can show flood plains and the high ground

State-funded and real-estate brokers' demographic surveys can show crime rates, gross yearly wage averages (by population percentage), quality of local schools (resale value considerations, if nothing else), local hospitals and the nearest medical facilities ('out in the country' is nice, but an EMT that takes 50 minutes to get to you, is a drag), etc. Do you need night life? is your industry in abundance in the 'south'? etc.

For me, gunownership wasn't a question at all; east of NM from the water-border states all the way to W.dc. and south of Ohio, those states ain't PRK, MA, or NJ. "Folk" culture is used to guns around the populace.

 

[Redlg155]

Come on down to Florida!

I live in NW Florida, so I the ability to speak spanish is not required!

Gun laws are great and we are a Class III state, so you can have your machine guns if that's your peice of cake. Concealed Carry Permits are also easy to obtain since we are a "shall issue" state. Just becuase you want one is reason enough.

You won't find much better fishing both inland and offshore in Florida and hunting is excellent. We have lots of deer, so you can kill 2 per day during the season. No tags, just buy your license and have at it. Wildlife management areas are all over the place as well as military installations. You can hunt at many installations as a civilian since they qualify as a type II WMA in many areas. In my area I hunt Tyndall AFB during the hunting season.

Good Shooting
Red

 

[Roon]

Goon,

The Carolinas are very gun-friendly (very easy to get CCW with reciprocity with many other states), and Charlotte NC is a veritable boomtown - the second fastest growing area in the country. Weather is perfect here in the Appalachian foothills, close to great mountains, skiiing, wilderness, etc., etc.

 

[goon]

The Carolinas you say?
Hmmm...

To tell the truth, I am pretty much in the situation that I will either have to :

A. Get a job and settle here in PA pretty soon.
Or
B. Move south and get a job.

I have an Associate's Degree in the IT field, so I am hoping for an entry level position in that field, but I would work just about any acceptable job that pays good enough. I don't really want to work with computers for the rest of my life.

I don't really want to settle in PA though. It stays cold here for too long and the job outlook for ANY job isn't all that great. The gun laws are totally awesome here though. We have a RKBA in our state constitution, so even our anti gun gov'nah can't touch them.

Anyhow, thanks for the leads.

 

[Roon]

There are two major banks headquartered here in Charlotte (Bank of America and Wachovia) and plenty of IT work. Red Hat and plenty of other computer related companies in NC.

Good luck on your hunt.

 

[spin180]

Not on the thread topic, but...

Two posts, back to back...

One by Roon and the other by goon...

Roon and goon...



And on the thread topic, NC ain't too bad. Gun friendliness can be very dependent on the location, but that's probably true for other places too. The climate is fairly nice, but it's been a bitch the last few weeks with Frances and Ivan. State government is alright, but our current governor's an idiot. What else can I say...

Tennesse and Georgia are nice also, though. Good options.

Good luck in your quest!

 

[azrael]

NC would be good as Roon said...Although the permit system that NC has varies a bit county by county...The County that I live in (Randolph) has a very pro-RKBA sheriff, so you dont have to wait but like 10 minutes for a permit..you can get 5 at a time (5$ea) and they are good for 5 years...The county next to mine (Alamance) takes a week to get a permit..or at least it did under the old regime...Class III is ok..

IT fields are pretty decent around Charlotte or RTP...You wouldnt catch me dead in either city (to many people) but thats me..

Yankee discrimination??? Well your accent will get you picked at somewhat (and YEA ya got one!) but prolly not to any great extent...But as far as jobs in the IT field, most of the companies could care less where you are from...just dont mention the word UNION! and you will be fine..



Gotta make the holsters

 

[readyfire]

South carolina,im moving there from maryland.It was either their or PA!!Both have good gun laws.Good luck on your venture!

 

[cool45auto]

Come on down to Georgia!

 

[Roon]

Oh yeh, I forgot about that part of your question. Fact is, in both Research Triangle Park and Charlotte, not many folks will notice you're a yankee (might as well get used to it), and in most other parts, as long as you ain't fixin' to marry kin, nobody else really gives a hoot.

But remember, "the war" means the "War or Northern Aggression" (there was nothing "civil" about it). The "Stars and Bars" refers to the First National Flag of the Confederacy,

not the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, the more recognizable "rebel" flag with the St. Andrews Cross.

Lots of things to learn. Fun. Great place.

 

[Bullet Bob]

NC just passed a law that if you have a concealed carry permit, you no longer have to get a permit to buy a handgun.

 

[RWK]

Several/many excellent alternatives: VA, TX, FL, GA and others.

 

[armoredman]

South, or Southwest? Arizona, no license to purchase, or carry open, shall issue CCW, no registration, Class 3 friendly, (carry your Class 3 CC on your permit, if you wish), no waiting period, CCW eliminates background check, no magazine limitations, no AWB, pre-emption law keeps things the same statewide, no ammo bans, no one-gun-a-month, CCW reciprocity with many states, only places with better laws is Alaska and Vermont....
Oh, no duty to retreat to fire in self defense either - stand your ground.

 

[spartacus2002]

Nobody has mentioned Virginia yet? Shall-issue permits to carry concealed, no-permit open carry, Class III, and a hardcore pro-carry group (Virginia Citizen's Defense League).

 

[Roon]

Speaking of Georgia, there's a great place a little north of Atlanta, Kennesaw, home of Wildman's , and the locomotive made famous by Buster Keaton in "The General".

And then where Wellington was defeated during the Revolutionary War, just great history, everywhere.

(Sorry for the boosterism!)

 

[mtnbkr]

For IT, Northern Va is a great choice, especially if you have any .gov security clearances. If you have a TS w/poly, I can almost promise you a job with my company.

That said, NoVa is the more liberal area of Virginia, but since Gov Warner make state gun laws THE law across Va, it's no worse gun-wise than any other portion of the state (prior, some locality had their own laws, but not anymore). Va is pretty pro-gun in general. You'll run into your loopy liberals here and there, but overall, it's cool.

NC is a good choice as well. I'd live in either state.

Do southerners discriminate against northerners when hiring?

Not that I've noticed. It's not the 1950s you know.

Chris

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Goon,

Do you know the difference between a Yankee and a Damn Yankee?

 

[W Turner]

Alabama ain't bad either. Huntsville (north-central) is probably the best area for IT jobs due to the heavy Aerospae industry there. As a matter of fact my company is usually looking for IT guys. PM me if you're interested.

No extra fees or hassle with buying a gun. Lay your money down, do the NICS check and walk out with it. Class 3 is not a problem as far as I know.

CCW is technically may-issue, but is more shall-issue in practice and the exact procedures vary by county. I have never paid more than $10 a year or had to wait more than 2 weeks for my permit. My home county issues them on the spot for $5.

Hunting is pretty good and getting better. The southern part of the state is the home of Buckmasters and deer are plentiful in pretty much the entire state. Public lands are crowded, but the Bubba's leave plenty of deer out there. Fishing is great as well, Pickwick and Wilson Lakes are well known for unbelieveable smallmouth bass fishing.

W

 

[patentnonsense]

I moved down to Texas a good while back, and I have to say I like many things about it. Weather isn't one of them, but mostly we don't have hurricanes except on the Gulf Coast. (Houston is about the only place in the world where we brag about the Dallas weather.) There's a lot more honesty and kindness in your day-to-day interactions here than you'll see in the Northeast - and Texas generally is pretty friendly to making your own way. There's less political correctness here than most places, and a lot of pro-Second-Amendment sentiment.

Most of Texas isn't culturally Southern - just the parts north of a Dallas-Houston line. (Lots of other Texans think they're Southerners.) That'd probably be a plus for you: nobody really cares who your grandparents were.

And as in most Southern states, our women are WAY better looking than what you'll see up North. Come on down!

 

[Wayne D]

The only bad law that VA has is the one-handgun-a-month law. But they just amended it so that if you have a CWP you are exempt. Mark Warner is a Democrat but he has been very gun/hunter friendly since he's been in office. Better than some Republicans I can think of. In the southwestern part of the state even the Democrats are pro-gun. Rick Boucher is pro-gun. Virgil Goode was so pro-gun, anti-Clinton that they kicked him out of the Democratic party. Actually I think he quit but I like to tell it that way.

As far as prejudice against Yankees, just be careful. If you talk too fast down here, people tend to think you're a smart ass. So just try to talk slow until people get to know you and you'll be OK.







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