RancidSumo
Member
How is Montana as far as gun laws go?
How is Montana?
- Thread starter RancidSumo
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Winchester 73
member
Montana-Very cool.Permit licenses granted shall issue.
Rifle and shotgun ownership,unrestricted.
"Assault weapons",unrestricted.
Machine guns,no state restrictions,Fed Law only
Preemption Law,firearms laws generally uniform.
Open carry,unrestricted and generally accepted.
Vehicle Carry,loaded firearms may be carried in plain view,console box,glove comp. or comm. gun case.
No OC or CC in public parks and Govt. Buildings,is an exemption to local preemption.
Montana also is unusual in that anyone can carry a concealed firearm when they are outside the boundaries of a city,town or logging camp,engaged in outdoor rec. actrivities such as hiking,ranching or camping ,without a permit.
Of course in AK and VT,this a given.But MT is ahead of most of the pack.
Rifle and shotgun ownership,unrestricted.
"Assault weapons",unrestricted.
Machine guns,no state restrictions,Fed Law only
Preemption Law,firearms laws generally uniform.
Open carry,unrestricted and generally accepted.
Vehicle Carry,loaded firearms may be carried in plain view,console box,glove comp. or comm. gun case.
No OC or CC in public parks and Govt. Buildings,is an exemption to local preemption.
Montana also is unusual in that anyone can carry a concealed firearm when they are outside the boundaries of a city,town or logging camp,engaged in outdoor rec. actrivities such as hiking,ranching or camping ,without a permit.
Of course in AK and VT,this a given.But MT is ahead of most of the pack.
RancidSumo
Member
Thanks, thats good to hear.
I used to live in the Missoula area. Although this particular town can be a bit liberal with the college and all, its still very gun friendly. Once I saw my neighbor and his friend stopped at a busy stop light on their motorcycles, each with a rifle slung across their back. Nobody seemed to care.
nyggis
Member
Montana sounds like a wonderful place! It warms my heart to hear how people trust other gun owners, and how they view it as a normal thing to carry arms!
Winchester 73
member
And the weather is similar to Sweden!
Start packing and make your move.
Hk91-762mm
Member
I lived in Helena For 6 mts.
Snow in the hills june 11 105 degrees July 11.
Scenery is Just beautiful and going 4 wheeling in the mountains was great.
My complaints were -Unfriendly people-Many had the sour face and were hard to make smile [I had just moved from SC where you had to drive with 1 hand free so to wave to others] And the fence posts most places were painted RED-KEEP OUT! This in a state with less population that many cities.
But we were at a friends home in the hills about 30 min drive from Helena and we were shooting a full auto--I asked my friends- Dont you worry the cops will come = -Naaaaaaaa This is montana !
One of my buddies is a cop from NY When he got out of cop school he got a job In MT. He stops a truck and there is a gun in the back window and a pistol hanging from the Rear view Mirror-he asks the driver -ARE those loaded - Why yes they are ! he calls in a superior and tells him -They told the rookie --You can have a loaded gun -How do you expect to shoot something with an empty gun??
Other than the grumpy people and the Red fence posts -Its Gods country
Snow in the hills june 11 105 degrees July 11.
Scenery is Just beautiful and going 4 wheeling in the mountains was great.
My complaints were -Unfriendly people-Many had the sour face and were hard to make smile [I had just moved from SC where you had to drive with 1 hand free so to wave to others] And the fence posts most places were painted RED-KEEP OUT! This in a state with less population that many cities.
But we were at a friends home in the hills about 30 min drive from Helena and we were shooting a full auto--I asked my friends- Dont you worry the cops will come = -Naaaaaaaa This is montana !
One of my buddies is a cop from NY When he got out of cop school he got a job In MT. He stops a truck and there is a gun in the back window and a pistol hanging from the Rear view Mirror-he asks the driver -ARE those loaded - Why yes they are ! he calls in a superior and tells him -They told the rookie --You can have a loaded gun -How do you expect to shoot something with an empty gun??
Other than the grumpy people and the Red fence posts -Its Gods country
jakeswensonmt
Member
I am shocked and a little embarrassed. So sorry for your bad experience, but you should know that this is not the way most of Montana is. Most places are very friendly, people who don't know each other smile and talk.
I grew up in Montana, then lived and worked in CA for about 15 years. When I moved back to Montana in 2001, I was surprised and at first a little put off by how friendly and outgoing most people here are. I had become used to the "I don't want to see you, or know you, you're invisible to me, stay out of my space, don't talk to me" attitude that pervades strangers in CA.
Just for fun sometimes I will drive down the road and wave and smile to people I don't know, and pretty much all of them smile and wave back, but with that slightly pained "are you being nice or should I recognize you?" smile.
Last winter I got the car stuck in a snow bank on a rural road, and during the half hour I waited for the tow truck every single car that passed offered help. So many people stopped that I actually got tired of explaining that the tow truck was already enroute (but I was still nice.)
Although: There are some areas that have been mostly taken over by wealthy out-of-staters (the Bitterroot Valley, Flathead lake, Frenchtown, parts of Bozeman and Missoula, etc.) and you will find spoiled rotten upper-class snobs there aplenty.
Fella's;
There are some, small, flies in the ointment. First, although Montana is a shall-issue state, it is done by the county sheriff. Therefore, since the license is not state issued, many other states do not have reciprococity with Montana. Secondly, though there are few bad guys, they do exist and their marksmanship tends to be of a higher order than those who hold their gorks sideways.
900F
There are some, small, flies in the ointment. First, although Montana is a shall-issue state, it is done by the county sheriff. Therefore, since the license is not state issued, many other states do not have reciprococity with Montana. Secondly, though there are few bad guys, they do exist and their marksmanship tends to be of a higher order than those who hold their gorks sideways.
900F
sierrabravo45
Member
Montana is most like California and New Jersey. Terrible Gun Laws and I would not recommend moving there.
leathermanwave
Member
Montana is an awesome state. The weather is unpredictable; it snowed last night
. I don't see what you meant by saying people being mean. Sure they are mean when they are in town but get out of town and everybody is nice. The firearm laws are really nice i'm 14 and i can leagally carry a concealed gun as long as i stay out of the town, a logging camp or federal building.
. I don't see what you meant by saying people being mean. Sure they are mean when they are in town but get out of town and everybody is nice. The firearm laws are really nice i'm 14 and i can leagally carry a concealed gun as long as i stay out of the town, a logging camp or federal building.41magsnub
Member
Agreed.. at least until wages catch up with what the land values have been driven to by out of state folks buying up ranchettes.
cdrt
Member
Lived there for five years (1998-2003). Gun laws are fine, but it's their dang state income tax and local property taxes that will kill you. The local municipalities can raise property tax mill levies any time they want to.
We had a five acre parcel that was adjacent to the five acres we had the house on in Ravalli County just south of Missoula. Taxes on that vacant land went up 500% in one year. The county decided to tax it at what we could "sell" it for, not what we paid for it, which meant the assessed value went from $10K to $50K (their estimate of what it was worth).
Their state income tax is the highest rate in the country; 13% for the top bracket and no matter how little you make, they will take part of it. And their vehicle taxes are not too bad compared to California's (we lived there too), but they're not as cheap as Texas.
We moved to Texas; no state income tax and vehicle tags are like $50. Yep, the property taxes are higher, but if you homestead your house, they can only raise them 10% per year, unlike Montana's open ended tax grab.
The only other good thing was lots of state land to hunt on, unlike Texas, and the Sportsman's hunting license ran about $60 which meant an elk tag, deer tag, fishing license all rolled in to one.
Almost forgot, if you're not born and diapered there, forget about being welcomed with a friendly smile, especially if you're moving from California. They like taking your money for the house you just bought, but don't expect them to lay out the welcome mat, especially in the Bitterroot Valley.
We had a five acre parcel that was adjacent to the five acres we had the house on in Ravalli County just south of Missoula. Taxes on that vacant land went up 500% in one year. The county decided to tax it at what we could "sell" it for, not what we paid for it, which meant the assessed value went from $10K to $50K (their estimate of what it was worth).
Their state income tax is the highest rate in the country; 13% for the top bracket and no matter how little you make, they will take part of it. And their vehicle taxes are not too bad compared to California's (we lived there too), but they're not as cheap as Texas.
We moved to Texas; no state income tax and vehicle tags are like $50. Yep, the property taxes are higher, but if you homestead your house, they can only raise them 10% per year, unlike Montana's open ended tax grab.
The only other good thing was lots of state land to hunt on, unlike Texas, and the Sportsman's hunting license ran about $60 which meant an elk tag, deer tag, fishing license all rolled in to one.
Almost forgot, if you're not born and diapered there, forget about being welcomed with a friendly smile, especially if you're moving from California. They like taking your money for the house you just bought, but don't expect them to lay out the welcome mat, especially in the Bitterroot Valley.
leathermanwave
Member
I know. An ordinary working class person can't buy land because of out of state people. About buying ranchettes some people we know from California bought a 5 acre tract with covenants limiting them to 3 livestock, and then claimed they are making the transition from Hollywood film makers to Montana ranchers.:banghead:
c.latrans
Member
As far as gun laws go, Montana is a pretty good place to be as firearms are considered the norm. As to the other stuff, Montana is really two different states. The cali-kritters have infested the western third of the state where the population base resides and by simple majority make many of the rules. The population turns over there something like every seven years, meaning people move in, buy their dream, discover the dream is not what they expected, and sell the dream to the next generation of dreamers...........typically for a significant profit. The eastern two thirds of the state is very rural, losing population steadily and steeped in local families. Most of the best hunting is out in that part of the state, and if you are not connected you can expect to pay for outfitted hunts or at the least trespass fees. Eastern Montana is not so much a western state as it is midwestern in terms of attitudes towards hunting these days. Public land is available but normally does not provide the best hunting opportunities. Truthfully, Wyoming provides better do-it-yourself opportunities for Joe average hunter.
ProficientRifleman
Member
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It is cold most of the time. When it isn't cold it's raining and miserable.
The fishing isn't all it's cracked up to be, and the hunting is over rated.
On top of that, there are bears and Mountain Lions and all manner of big toothy critters.
Move to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California.
(smile)
The fishing isn't all it's cracked up to be, and the hunting is over rated.
On top of that, there are bears and Mountain Lions and all manner of big toothy critters.
Move to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California.
(smile)
qajaq59
Member
We were out there a couple of years ago and I asked a local woman about all the posted signs everywhere we looked. She said all the land in the area had been bought up by out of state people and no one was allowed to hunt it, or even hike it, anymore.
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leathermanwave
Member
The hunting is not overrated you just have to know where to hunt i'm 14 years old and have been hunting for three years I have gotten 5 deer and 2 elk,thats overrated?. I'm not sure about fishing either we don't go to the right place or there are no fish.
All Montanans dislike Californians for large gated communities and such where they used to hunt. if you want to move here everyone will give you the cold shoulder for a while. Just show them your guns and they will instantly like you.
Montana is horrible - don't come here. If you do, please leave immediately.
We don't mind you as long as you don't try t bring your state with you.
Here are a couple of interesting factoids.
90-95% of Montana residents own guns.
Montana gun owners have an average of 27 guns each.
Approximately 8.5% of all the guns in the US are in the state of Montana.
We don't mind you as long as you don't try t bring your state with you.
Here are a couple of interesting factoids.
90-95% of Montana residents own guns.
Montana gun owners have an average of 27 guns each.
Approximately 8.5% of all the guns in the US are in the state of Montana.
RancidSumo
Member
Judging from what I read so far, bring my state with me won't change much except in the California communities since I am from WY.
41magsnub
Member
I was mugged 9 times yesterday, shot 3 of the buggers. It's being back in Nam.. I'm tellin ya
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