chaim
Member
I'm glad I no longer live in Baltimore, but I may just be about done with MD.
To discuss MD's backwards CCW laws would sound like a broken record. They are bad.
General gun laws? Pretty bad.
Taxes? Among the worst in the U.S.
Real estate prices? Among the highest in the U.S. The DC area (which includes most of Central MD) is only lower than SF, Chicago and NYC. I'm a teacher and I can barely afford to live here, and I can't even think about buying a house just yet (I'm a fourth year teacher, I should finally be able to afford a very humble townhouse in the 'burbs in about 3-5 years). If I move to most of PA, VA or MN I could afford something decent right now (maybe even skip the townhouse and get a single family). While Northern VA is every bit as expensive as Central MD, teachers are paid about 5% better in many NOVA counties which of course helps quite a bit.
Now, there is a shooting in Baltimore on the news. Some people were throwing a birthday party and someone shot someone there. The police chief is speaking on the news very angry and indignant, not that someone was shot, but that the bad guy was carrying a gun around. To make matters worse, the two friends of the victim who stopped the shooting (beating up the shooter in the process) have also been charged with attempted 1st and 2nd degree murder and assault for attacking the shooter!!! Sure, the guy was beaten to a pulp, but I'm sorry, it doesn't seem that unreasonable to me- someone comes into a party and shoots a friend, the guy is still armed, while disarming the shooter it is unreasonable to expect the friends to stop as soon as the gun is removed (adrenaline, fear, trying to keep you from getting the gun back and shooting someone else, etc., and if it was me I wouldn't stop until I know you are no longer a threat). Hopefully, the police know something that they haven't released (maybe I can see the charges if these people have a history with each other and the friends are no saints). Of course, there is no way to justify the Chief of Police's outrage over the shooter carrying a gun instead of outrage over him shooting someone.
To heck with this state and its backward politicians and law enforcement officials (I'm thinking the leadership here, not meaning to attack all cops).
The only problem is as a teacher I am certified by the state. That doesn't make it all that easy to move. I am about to start trying to get certified in MN and VA so those are options. I may also apply to MD school districts that border PA so I can move to Southern PA (teaching jobs in PA aren't so easy to get, and as a MD certified teacher, they make transferring my certification much more difficult than it should be). With the recession it won't be overnight (teachers have to give notice before they start applying for jobs- just the way it is set up), but I'm going to start the process of making myself legal to teach in other states so I can make the move once the job market improves.
To discuss MD's backwards CCW laws would sound like a broken record. They are bad.
General gun laws? Pretty bad.
Taxes? Among the worst in the U.S.
Real estate prices? Among the highest in the U.S. The DC area (which includes most of Central MD) is only lower than SF, Chicago and NYC. I'm a teacher and I can barely afford to live here, and I can't even think about buying a house just yet (I'm a fourth year teacher, I should finally be able to afford a very humble townhouse in the 'burbs in about 3-5 years). If I move to most of PA, VA or MN I could afford something decent right now (maybe even skip the townhouse and get a single family). While Northern VA is every bit as expensive as Central MD, teachers are paid about 5% better in many NOVA counties which of course helps quite a bit.
Now, there is a shooting in Baltimore on the news. Some people were throwing a birthday party and someone shot someone there. The police chief is speaking on the news very angry and indignant, not that someone was shot, but that the bad guy was carrying a gun around. To make matters worse, the two friends of the victim who stopped the shooting (beating up the shooter in the process) have also been charged with attempted 1st and 2nd degree murder and assault for attacking the shooter!!! Sure, the guy was beaten to a pulp, but I'm sorry, it doesn't seem that unreasonable to me- someone comes into a party and shoots a friend, the guy is still armed, while disarming the shooter it is unreasonable to expect the friends to stop as soon as the gun is removed (adrenaline, fear, trying to keep you from getting the gun back and shooting someone else, etc., and if it was me I wouldn't stop until I know you are no longer a threat). Hopefully, the police know something that they haven't released (maybe I can see the charges if these people have a history with each other and the friends are no saints). Of course, there is no way to justify the Chief of Police's outrage over the shooter carrying a gun instead of outrage over him shooting someone.
To heck with this state and its backward politicians and law enforcement officials (I'm thinking the leadership here, not meaning to attack all cops).
The only problem is as a teacher I am certified by the state. That doesn't make it all that easy to move. I am about to start trying to get certified in MN and VA so those are options. I may also apply to MD school districts that border PA so I can move to Southern PA (teaching jobs in PA aren't so easy to get, and as a MD certified teacher, they make transferring my certification much more difficult than it should be). With the recession it won't be overnight (teachers have to give notice before they start applying for jobs- just the way it is set up), but I'm going to start the process of making myself legal to teach in other states so I can make the move once the job market improves.
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