Grade Your Area

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Corpus Christi TX 9.5

I live in the Corpus Christi,TX area, and I would give my area a 9.5. I say 9.5 because nowhere is gonna be perfect. I have an outdoor shooting range about a half mile from my apartment. The annual membership is $75. I can hear shots when I am outside if the wind is right. :D Also there is a supressor manufaturer about a mile away, and the local LE is very pro RKBA. There are also several gunshops, and an Academy nearby, and the Wal Marts around here stay pretty well stocked up on Ammo.
 
This is difficult to rate. While I've visited other states and done some shooting and related activities while visiting, I've not been a resident of several states to know the laws first hand. That said, here's my shake.

Area:

Western Washington State

Pros:
"Shall issue" conceal pistol license
some reciprocity with other states
A very nice outdoor range a few miles from me
A handful of decent indoor ranges attached to gunshops
There are a few places within 20 miles that sell a variety of ammo and reloading components. Aside from exotic accessories, I can usually get stuff locally, but expensive.
Good training, though I've not taken full advantage myself.

Cons:
More PETA/Co-exist bumper stickers than NRA
In the populated/Urban areas, guns are a polarizing conversation in many cases
Silencer "use" is presently illegal in WA, though you may own one via NFA process.
Local sales tax is just under 10%, which encourages me to shop on the internet.
 
WA is pretty good, open carry, pennies over $50 for a 5 year shall issue CCW. Not a lot of restricted areas. State gun law preemption so you don't need to watch out for got ya local ordinances. Not perfect, but good.

Personal area. We live a couple miles from a couple million acres of National Forest, wilderness, BLM, and State land. (North-central WA)

We shoot on our own propery but there are 3 private ranges ($25/year) within 40 miles (we live 20 miles out of town). There are a couple of gun shops around, Wal-Mart is 40 miles. Never used a gun smith here so don't know that the answer to that one.

Culture, basically everyone here has several guns, most hunt, there are 40 fishable lakes within 40 miles, a couple of them fair sized (2000 acres+), We have Whitetail and Mule deer, sheep, goats, elk and moose, ducks, geese, quail, phesants, turkeys...lots of stuff to hunt. (most have been in our yard at one time or another)

There is one large ranch (15,000 acres) that was split up into 20 acre parcels a few years ago that has a no-shooting covenent. (The developers were trying to target the Seattle crowd) They haven't sold many of their lots.

Land is relatively inexpensive, property taxes are low, lots of land available...Good place to live/retire to. (no state income tax) We live 250 miles from Seattle,,,and Seattle Metro is very expensive... The East side (dry side) of the Cascade Mountains is a totally different place than the West side (wet side). It is like being in a different country. There is no PETA over here,
 
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Having lived in NY, GA (Atlanta), Houston area, Tyler, TX, Western CO, middle ND, northern NV and now FL - I would give most of them about7.5-8, (NYC and Atlanta excluded)

NV and CO get the nod for ability to shoot as BLM land was all around me
FL seems to be more friendly in the other regards, but because of all the private land, the places to safely shoot are fewer and farther apart. CCW in FL is easier as well, but then you have to factor in sweat and rust!..:D
 
0.0 out of 10
Yes that would be the grade for my area, that area being the Chicagoland. Don't think I have to get into the cons of my area, since those are pretty obvious and as for the pros......good luck finding one, if you can find one.

I live in one of the surburbs of Chicago, so I don't have as many archaic laws as Chicago but I still live in Cook County.:( That said where I like to shoot is some of the families private land nearly 5 hours from here, so I don't get up their all that often and therefore don't get out shooting alot. There are no local outdoor ranges within an hour of where I live, so that doesn't help either.
 
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MA 3-

Here behind the iron curtain, we have Concealed carry permits available. I have heard some municipalities are harder to get it in than others. I have not had a problem. We have an Attorney general that has an approved weapons roster which contains 668 different handguns we are allowed to purchase from 17 different companies. But most of those are Smith and Wesson or Ruger. We have a 10 round limit on magazines unless pre-ban. Here is the link to the list.

http://www.mass.gov/Eeops/docs/chsb/firearms/approved_firearms_roster.pdf

As far as places to shoot, we have quite a few within 30 minutes of me. I belong to a very reasonable club.

As far as culture, most people I meet are anti gun. Including in-laws. (Not all). I don't ever bring it up, but correct them when they spout out nonsense. I don't think I am converting many, but they are learning to keep their views to themselves.

The wife is as ready to move to TN as soon as the kids are out of high school.

If you were thinking about moving here, I wouldn't....

LNK
 
I'd rate my area as B-. State overall is an A-.

I live in central Houston, so I have to drive a long way (30-45 mins) to get to a rifle range. Indoor ranges (pistol-only) are closer. Harris County is not NFA-friendly. Mood is generally gun-friendly, although I work in an academic setting so the people I'm around daily are less so.

Texas is pretty good for gun ownership. CHL is shall-issue but expensive to get (~$250 for class+license fee), and there are too many places off limits. No open carry. Good state preemption law, so living in a big city is bearable in terms of gun laws. Very pro-gun of course once you get out of urban areas.
 
Area: Northern Virginia

Grade: B

Pros:
Virginia, statewide, is fairly gun-friendly.
State preemption law keeps gun-unfriendly local jurisdictions in check.
No general gun registration, owner I.D.'s, waiting periods, etc.
Open carry is legal.
Concealed-carry permits are "shall-issue" and fairly easy to get. The required training course can be taken online.
CCW reciprocity is excellent (except for neighboring Maryland and D.C.).
NFA items are legal, with one-time after-the-fact registration with the State Police. Virginia is a "Uniform Machinegun Act" state.
Huge gun show ("Nation's Gun Show") in Chantilly several times a year.

Cons:
Proximity to extremely anti-gun D.C. and moderately anti-gun Maryland. No carry in either of those jurisdictions. This limits the practical utility of carry permits.
One-gun-a-month limit on handgun purchases.
CLEO signoffs on NFA items are spotty. The Sheriff in Fairfax County will sign (after conducting his own investigation) but the CLEO's in Arlington and Alexandria won't sign.
No gunshops or ranges in the inner suburbs. You have to go out to exurban Prince William County at least.
The public attitude in Northern Virginia is fairly anti-gun. People open carrying will get unfriendly stares and questions. Politicians have apparently concluded that anti-gun positions will sell.
 
The Oregon Willamete Valley ... I'd give it a ... 8. 8 out of 10.

While the PETA and Granola types are thick here, they either largely seem to stick to themselves or are pro-gun. Also, watch out with those labels, as I do buy mostly organic and I don't think animals should be mistreated. >.O

The shops around here are a mixed lot. We have Bi-Mart for cheap ammo and good deals on very common low end but functional shotties and rifles, as well as cheap ammo.
We have several gunshops of which all but one get my business quite regularly. The only reason one of them doesn't is because they don't like us eco-shooters and organic cooks.

We have one very, very, very competent but sadly overworked gunsmith who does amazing work and really doesn't care who you are. you get good service and if you're even remotely a regular he's more than willing to "hook you up" quite nicely.

For shooting places ... we have Mary's Peak, which is great year-round, except for about ... four months of the year, where you need a four wheel drive with chains to get there, we have one or two decently sized private clubs and an indoor pistol and .22 range with a bad ventilation system. Oh well.

Oregon Gun Laws are quite bearable, even though I'd very much like looser legislation on nifty fun stuff like silencers, but well ... it's better than most places.
 
One more big negative for my neck of the woods in NC...our local "sheriff for life" (running against him is considered political suicide...been sheriff since 94) doesn't sign off on NFA items because mere peasants don't need such items. :cuss:
 
Northern Arizona

A+, 10/10, etc.

Common sense gun laws, Class III friendly LEOs, shooting areas within 25' of my house, etc.
 
Forum Surfer

Summed up North Carolina's laws much better than I could, shame on me, as CCP is available and the general attitude of most folks with the exception of Orange County is generally uninterested in shooting sports and CCW.
No decent gun shops in my general area, yet there are several in a 45 -60 minute drive. Limited public ranges. Lots of open areas to shoot but most of these are private property and posted. The only indoor range is a 45 minute drive and is crowded nights and weekends.

All in all, I would rate NC as a 6.5. Not great but beats the heck out of the San Francisco Bay area where I spent many years.

ForumSurfer would that be Durham or Orange county?
 
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Marin and Sonoma County, CA

Grade: F- on a letter scale or Negative 1 on a 1 through 10 scale.
 
I'd give Kodiak an "A" except for a few cons like ammo availability and gunsmithing.

Ammo can be limited at times if you shoot something odd or want to buy in bulk. Shipping in bulk ammo is difficult since you have to ship to a barge service in WA, and then have your ammo barged up. A pain in the rear when you find a good deal on cans of .762x54 or .762 NATO.

Gunsmith? Nope. Again though, with the Internet you'd be amazed at all the videos and good info you can glean if you're willing to do it yourself.

The pro? Open carry or concealed carry without a permit. Shoot anywhere you want outside of town limits as long as you clean up after yourself.
Gun culture? Hell, it's just the culture. There really isn't any anti-gun culture here unless "I don't like Glocks" is anti-gun.
 
As a former NYC resident now living in the buckle of the Bible Belt, I would say SE TN is a 9+, descent CC rules, lots of private cun clubs , private ranges, friendly local gun shops. Compared to NYC this is heaven. IN NYC you had to register every hand gun purchased, you could not even pick one up to look at in a shop unless you had a permit
 
Illinois 4-4.5
Pros:
1. There is a gun club with really nice 5 stand and skeet set ups and a 25 yard pistol/rimfire range within minutes of my house.
2. A lot of people in my area hunt, and therefore own guns.
3. Way more NRA stickers than PETA stickers.
4. A couple of small gun shops within 5-10 minutes from my house. They can order stuff in and do transfers as well.
5. Lots of deer, if that's your thing.
6. No assault weapon/magazine ban.
7. We sort of have Castle Doctrine.
8. My U.S. rep, state rep, and state senator are all pro gun.
9. There are a few gunsmiths around, but they are more into hunting, repair and such things. Don't count on them to help you on a big project gun.

Cons:
1. It's Illinois, Chicago screws those of us downstate.
2. No carry of any kind (well you can open carry in unincorporated areas. (while hunting pretty much))
3. FOID cards.
4. The Attorney General is currently trying to get the names of all FOID card holders published through the AP.
5. No NFA items.
6. No AP ammo, or fancy shotgun shells (dragonsbreath, flechette, etc.)
7. Junk gun ban (metal melting point), because poor people shouldn't have guns.
8. No big gun shops for an hour or so.
9. No good rifle or indoor ranges for an hour or so.
10. Guns in cars must be unloaded and cased.
11. A lot of the gun owners in my area are hunters, so anything semiauto and smaller than a shotgun may get you looks and rude questions about your need to own "that".
12. Both of my U.S. senators are anti gun. So is the governor, Speaker of the House, etc.
13. Not that many places to shoot really. Too flat around here to feel comfortable shooting centerfire rifles.
14. Chicago.
15. Corruption

Pretty much, if you hunt and shoot skeet you are fine. If you want to do much beyond that, you either have to travel to a good range/gun shop, or leave the state forever.
The first 3, and the last 2 on the cons list are the worst parts. I'd really like to leave some day, while I'm still young enough to enjoy shooting in some other state.
 
Western Washington for me. I'll give it a B.

Pro:
We have concealed carry.

We have open carry.

Theoretically, you can conceal carry without a permit if you are "engaged in a ligitimate outdoor activity" and above the age of 18. Its one of those yes its legal, and you'd win in court, but you may get arrested, things.

Culture - most folks seam to be OK with people owing guns for hunting.

Bill in legislature that would legalize the ownership and use of surpressors.

CONS:
While folks seam OK wiht guns for hunting, a good portion don't really like the idea of regular joes having some of the more tacticool stuff.

NFA items are very strictly regulated - no SBS, SBR, or FA (I may be wrong though) and you can own a surpressors but you can not use it.

Not very many ranges (at least that I know of.)

Not very many gunshops. Big 5, Wholesale Sports, and the like sometimes carry firearms, but there aren't too many shops dedicated to guns.

Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson
 
I'd give most of the state of Montana an A- to A grade down from when I grew up in North Central Montana. Too many people from out of state buying up ranches that formerly allowed hunting and closing them to hunting. There are three outdoor ranges in the immediate area, and a new indoor range opening soon, but at least two of the ranges are limited membership so hard to get into. The newer outdoor range is limited membership too I believe, and the indoor range is membership but may be open to public shooters. Just going out to shoot isn't like it used to be 50 and more years ago.

But Montana now has shall issue concealed carry, although the former sheriff didn't like the idea and made it as difficult as possible. The new sheriff is supposed to be more pro-gun (which wouldn't be hard), but I haven't had any experience with him so far. A Constitutional (no permit required) carry law is apparently going through the state legislature now, and the last session got castle doctrine and stand your ground laws passed and signed which they'd tried for awhile to do. While NFA weapons and suppressors can be owned by civilians, use of a suppressor in the field is currently prohibited. Unlike WA state where I lived for 34 years, a concealed carry permit is only required in towns and logging and railroad camps, outside of them no permit required. Open carry is also legal.

The leftist lawyers, politicians, and others were and are opposed to all the pro-gun laws and do the "blood in the streets" routine.

I'm not sure about talking to the general public about guns and shooting, but would imagine that most wouldn't be shocked or amazed to know that someone owns guns and shoots around here.
 
Down east Maine for mine. Almost heaven.:D A 9 for sure. It would be a 10 but the silly laws for those insecure transplants from Mass and CA in Acadia National Park stating you need a CCW to possess a firearm in the park.:barf::barf: Good areas to shoot and clubs around locally. Good shops and lots of ammo. Most are OK with if not into the firearms culture unless on the borders of "the park".:scrutiny:
Upthehill you need to live north or east of Augusta. You live in the "other" Maine. The southern part is mostly populated with transplants from Mass and NY state. I feel for ya.:D
 
Area: Central Alabama (Jefferson County)

Cost of CCW License: Jefferson County = $7.50@ year, others = $10-20@ year
Open Carry Allowed Statewide (see AG opinion #84-00205); unless municipal
statues prevent open carry.
A resident of said county, shall be issued a CCW License by the Sheriff of that
county only.
Attitude towards CCW carry: 90% approve, 7% disapprove, 3% undecided
Are CCW classes and range qualification required~? NO
Several firing ranges lie within a short driving distance of Birmingham, AL
Also, several nice gunshops are in the area; within 45 minutes of one another
NICS background check required for each purchase; unless multiple purchase
made at the same time, then only one background check is required.
Several ranges have rangemaster's that assist the novice shooter.
One local PD range is open one day a month to the general public, and they
even furnish targets.

May not be the best place, but I would rate it at:


7.5 = C~!
On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest possible score.
 
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WV

I live in Wayne County West Virginia, which is located right where the Ohio and Big Sandy rivers converge. I would have to give my area a 10 all around.

Pros:
LEO's and courts sympathetic to self defense in home intrusions.
People who use self defence in home intrusions hearlded as local heros.
Easy goin' gun laws, open carry, CCW with easy to obtain permit.
Public range at nearby State Park.
HUGE variety of gun shops, pawn shops, gun smiths, and 7 Walmarts within twenty or so miles.
Healthy gun trade amongst private citizens (gotta love flea markets!!!)
And soon hopefull the passage of SB84 (WV's Firearms Freedom Act)
NRA alive and well!
Great hunting as well!

Cons:
...
Will edit when substanial cause for alarm is found.
 
Mines near 10. I can be in the National Forest in less than 15 minutes for hunting and can be at either a private or public range in about the same time. Open carry is legal. A CCW permit is easily obtainable for the qualified. Guns are pretty much part of the culture.
 
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