Rate your state

[kungfuhippie]

Okay, The Brady Bunch has given D's and F's to all the free states. And the communist society called California got an A-

So I'd like to know where to move after college. I know I can look up the state gun laws but what I really want to know is;

1. The major pro's and con's for living in your state (not another state)

2. The gun laws you don't like in your state. (The major PITA ones)

3. Where you'd move to if you don't like your state, and why.

My firearm related list of wants is;

1. a shall issue state
2. No state AWB
3. No waiting period
4. No purchase limits
5. No registration
6. Good hunting opportunities

Thanks everybody.

 

[exar]

INDIANA
1. pros-good people, really good lookin' girls and plenty of 'em, lots of stuff to do outdoors, decent job opportunities(especially around Indy).

cons- small town syndrome kicks in sometimes. Not many clubs to party at(except for Indy). Can't rifle hunt(you can in KY)

2. I like all of our laws, nothing bad that I can think of. Hardly any restrictions.

3. Tennessee- I was born there, some family there, similar culture there(a little too religious for my tastes)

Your entire list of wants (A crap load of deer and fowel) and more (Lifetime permits for CCW) are all met here in the Hoosier state!! GO COLTS!!:D

 

[DouglasW]

Colorado ain't bad

Colorado meets many of your requirements, and is the best place I've ever lived.

Shall issue, No state AWB (though Denver still enforces its own AWB). No waiting periods or registrations, etc.

Generally, the further from the Denver-Boulder corridor, the more gun-friendly I've found things.

If I wasn't tied to Denver for work, I'd certainly look further south/west in Colorado (Gunnison, Durango, etc.). Beautiful country!

Good luck.

 

[Glockfan.45]

Illinois

CONS

1.) Chicago

2.) No CCW

3.) No NFA items allowed

4) F.O.I.D cards

5.) 3 day waiting period on handguns, 1 day waiting period on rifles, and shotguns


PROS

1.) Assualt weapons legal (for now )

2.) Hi-Cap Magazines legal

3.) .50BMG calibers legal

4.) No purchase limits

5.) Excellent hunting

 

[Sisco]

After January 1 when CCW becomes effective Kansas gets 6 out of 6.

 

[cmidkiff]

Missouri:

1. a shall issue state
A Yup, good in 28 states (and _any_ valid permit is good here)

2. No state AWB
B Even NFA weapons are fine, unless you want a silencer (muffler's are verbotten).

3. No waiting period
D for 'depends'... Permit to aquire for handguns needed from sheriff. Depends on your sheriff, could be 10 minutes, could be 7 days. This is the next law we are attacking... hopefully it'll be gone soon! In my county, it's 10 minutes and 10 dollars. Still a PITA!

4. No purchase limits
A

5. No registration
F I consider the Permit to aquire as de-facto handgun registration (though it's not supposed to be!) As above, perhaps in the next year or so we'll be rid of this outdated jim crow BS.

6. Good hunting opportunities
C Deer, turkey, quail, pheasant... you're not going to find Moose and such here, nor are you going to find prarie dogs.

 

[highlander 5]

Mass :banghead: :banghead: , WHAT EVER YOU DO DON"T COME HERE IT SUCKS.
not enough room to give specifics. I've lived here all my life and can't wait to retire so i can sell my house and get the hell out of dodge

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Oregon is pretty good.

No waiting period.
We have shall issue CCW.
Good hunting.
No purchase limits.
Not sure about AWB since this is outside my current interests.

 

[Eyesac]

Nevada is Great

1. a shall issue state
Just about as easy as can be, good for 5 years, no where you can't carry except schools and federal buildings (I hear some states you can't enter bars), even if there's a sign saying you can't carry...

2. No state AWB
You can get just about anything.

3. No waiting period

4. No purchase limits

5. No registration
Nope. Also, no paperwork at all for private party transfers, no dros fees if you have a CCW. However CCW requires you to qualify with each gun you will carry, but no serial numbers or anthing, infact I qualified with half my friends guns.

6. Good hunting opportunities
Very hunter friendly.

Northern Nevada's great, Reno has lower unemployment than the national average, housing prices are acceptable, people are nice (I would never have thought you could say one town is nicer than another, but I just moved from CA and it's night and day). You got mountains, desert, Tahoe, and the beach is 3hrs away... good spot I tell ya!

 

[kungfuhippie]

this is giving me a lot of info

thanks everyone.

Now don't worry, Illinois was off the list a while ago, along with Mass. Hawaii, and Jersey they all seam as bad off as California with their gun laws.

And as far as hunting moose...

If I ever shot a moose in California the zoo keeper would call the cops

And our deer here in southern california are little delicate deer, probably from west hollywood (California joke)

 

[wingnutx]

ARIZONA

1. a shall issue state YES
2. No state AWB YES
3. No waiting period YES
4. No purchase limits YES
5. No registration YES
6. Good hunting opportunities I think so

 

[marklbucla]

Alabama

1. Pros/Cons:

Pros:
Land is cheap compared to California. I'm from Los Angeles; what costs about $250K here is over a million back home.
Traffic is nothing compared to LA.
Crime is lower, but then again, I don't know how the rate compares.
Definitely gun friendly.
People are definitely friendlier (at least they appear to be).
Air is cleaner.
I don't know if this is a pro or not, but we get weather here.
Most things are cheaper.
Don't know if this is a pro or not, but there aren't that many people here- fewer stores and things to do.

Cons:
Don't know if this is a con to you, but everybody here is either White or Black.
The food here really sucks. For ethnic food, you pay more to get worse food. The exception is the Barbeque because I don't know how good it is on an objective scale. I can say that I like places in Torrance better though.
There's a lack of street signs where I live. It's a lot easier to get lost here than it is in LA.
I don't know if this is a con or not, but we get weather here. It's a con for me!
It's hard to understand people with a thick Southern accent. A lot of people mumble and don't enunciate here.
There are so few people here, it's hard to find a good job.
Can't buy alcohol on Sundays.

2. The gun laws you don't like in your state. (The major PITA ones)

My CCW says that I can't carry in places that serve alcohol. My California permit allowed me to do that as long as it wasnt' a bar!

3. Where you'd move to if you don't like your state, and why.

Probably to North Carolina because there are major cities there without giving up the lower cost of living.

 

[knuckles]

No one mentioned Vermont?

 

[thumbody]

Michigan
1. a shall issue state
Yes

2. No state AWB
No ban.

3. No waiting period
nope

4. No purchase limits
nope

5. No registration
None for long guns, for handguns , they must be taken to the County Sheriff for a "Safety Inspection" which consists of them recording the serial # and issuing a Safety Inspection Certificate.( In my opinion this IS a form of registration)

6. Good hunting opportunities
One of the largest herds of deer,plenty of turkey,rabbits etc. The Pheasant and partridge go in cycles, not as plentiful latelyIn the Northern Lower Peninsula there is elk hunting if you're lucky enough to get your name drawn and there are bear in the Upper Peninsula.
Plenty of State Game land for those who do not have access to private land.

Michigan's constitution also Acknowledges the right to own firearms

 

[real_name]

TN is as good as I deserve, which is pretty good.

Not sure about the range of hunting as I don't partake, but there's many, many who do.
The gun stores make you wait a few minutes when you buy a gun while they talk to TBI, which in my opinion is a ploy to let me look at more guns.
We actually have open carry, which you don't really see much but does cover you for those moments when you accidently flash your gun.
I keep telling my wife there's a minimum purchase limit of one handgun per month, but I'm still waiting for that to become actual legislation.

Oh and we don't have the house prices insanity that some other places have, but we do earn real money.

 

[ozarkhillbilly]

cmidkiff

B Even NFA weapons are fine, unless you want a silencer (muffler's are verbotten).

Lets work on this one, call your state rep and complain, that's what I am doing.

 

[AirForceShooter]

The Gunshine State:
Florida

AFS

 

[tenbase]

Virginia

Disclaimer: The following information is correct to the best of my knowledge. No warranties expressed or implied.

1. The major pro's and con's for living in your state

Pros:

• Shall-issue.
• Statewide preemption.
• Open carry with no permits and few forbidden areas.
• No AWB.
• No waiting periods.
• Fairly low crime rate, even in Northern Virginia which is on the DC border (the Potomac is like a moat).
• NFA friendly - MGs, cans, SBRs, SBS, AOWs all ok.
• No registration except for MGs.
• No duty to retreat unless you "started" the confrontation.

Cons:

• Silly broken law which forbids CCW in any restaurant that serves alcohol (you must open carry).
• One handgun a month, unless you have a CHL. State Police retains handgun sales records for a year to enforce this.
• MGs are registered at the state level. Fairfax County requires a questionnaire for CLEO signoff.
• AFAIK, one cannot conceal a loaded gun in your vehicle (ie, center console, glovebox) without a CHL.
• No open carry in state parks, must have a CHL and the gun must be concealed.
• Lethal force cannot be used to defend property.

2. The gun laws you don't like in your state. (The major PITA ones)

• One handgun a month. Pointless. Then again I couldn't afford to buy one a month
• Aforementioned "restaurant ban".
• Aforementioned in-car concealement ban. What the hell, I can carry a cocked and locked 1911 on the passenger seat, but not in my console?

3. Where you'd move to if you don't like your state, and why.

Back to southern Idaho, or Wyoming. Just too many people living in the DC metro area these days. Virginia is a good place to live overall, but NoVA is expensive and crowded.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

The Gunshine State:
Florida

Florida? Didn't I read that you crazy people made it legal to just shoot anyone on site not too long ago? I'm pretty sure it was in all the papers.

 

[cbsbyte]

Massachusetts

Mass was a pretty good state to live in up untill 1998 when a very strict Gun control bill was passed in both houses and signed into law by a Republican Governor. Note, We had several important pro gun wins in the state legislature during the last few years and no new guns laws have been passed. Will it ever be like Vermont or NH, no, but we can still hope to roll back some of the "worst in the nation" gun laws that where passed in 1998.

Pros:
*Class A LTC "All lawful purposes" (CCW permit) is easy to get in a majority of towns in the state.
*FID (non high capacity long gun) is Shall issue.
*NFA is legal with a state issued license.
*Open carry is legal on your own property, and/or during hunting season (hunting license required) in most state forest etc.
*Decent hunting in most parts of the state. We have more than enough deer, and Black bear to go around.
*Castle docturne
*No waiting periods
*Home for S&W, Kahr, Savage and other gun manufactures.
*Californians are worse off then we are in this state.

Cons:
*May Issue LTC (pistol permit/high capacity) state.
*All gun sales recorded by the state.
*Restictive handgun laws: All handguns to be sold in the state must pass the State's and Attorney General's requirements before being sold in the state.
*Non sunsetting AWB.
*No public stand your ground.
*Guns must be locked up at all times when not under ones direct control.
*Too many blissninnies in the state. 'Think of the childern'.
* can't buy ammo or reloading supplies mail order.

If I could move anywhere it would be Vermont. A liberal state with no gun laws.

 

[Chipperman]

Mass addendum to above:

Pro- Only places off limits are schools and court houses. OK to carry in restaurants, bars, banks, etc.

NFA is a mixed bag. You need the license to get any. MGs and SBRs are ok. SBS and Suppressors are no go.

Regular Capacity mags are ok IF you have a Class A license and the mags are Pre-Ban.

MA is a very odd state. If you are lucky enough to live in a good town, it's not so bad. If you live in an anti-gun town, your life stinks. The biggest problem for ME is that I cannot get a lot of new handguns. Otherwise I'm ok. I can CCW with hi-caps, I own machine guns, etc.

 

[Stauble]

my only gripe about Florida is that we have no open carry. if we did then id say we have the best laws.

as long as you stay out of South east Florida (where i am) then you're good. the rest of the state is very gun friendly. even where i am isnt too terribly bad.

 

[Mousegun]

Tennessee

From real_name -- """TN is as good as I deserve, which is pretty good."""

True but he forgot to mention the nuisance, no carry in restaurants that serve alcohol. That is a bad one because it is just a PITA restriction.

 

[real_name]

no carry in restaurants that serve alcohol

Agreed, and included in my evaluation of TN, pretty good falls far below perfect.
But when you grew up in England pretty good is still great.

 

[oops!]

Ky. I spend my time between Ky. and Tx. Both are OK for guns. Ky. is slightly better, due to open carry, cheaper CHL and loaded pistol in a glove box is not concealed.

Hunting/ fishing are great, the average buck I kill in Ky. each year would cost $5k-$10k in Tx.

Land is reasonable, taxes are about 1/2 of what I pay in Tx.

It costs more in taxes, utilities and license fees etc. to keep 3 vehicles and an apartment in Tx. than it does for a $200k home, 3,200 acres and 2 vehicles and Ky. income tax.