The Best State for a Shooter???

[klcarroll]

I’m not really sure if this is the right place to post this; …..But I am positive that you guys are the right people to ask!

Both my wife and I have lived in “The People’s Republic of Illinois” for all our lives; …and recently we both faced up to the fact that we’re sick of the place!! Between the overcrowding, the sloppy-nasty winters, and the MORONIC political climate, life has become something of a day-to-day misery!

So my question is this: From the standpoint of a shooter and hunter, what do you think of your Home State????

There are three points that I am specifically interested in:

1) Access to public or “open” land where shooting and/or hunting is generally allowed.

2) The attitude of the General Public towards the shooting sports.

3) Do the local and State Firearms Laws make sense?


I am going to re-locate; …….And I want to make this decision just once! ……..But I have discovered that all the “Google Searches” in the world aren’t worth much without some solid, first-hand opinions from people you trust!

Thanks!

Kent

[Dennis Eugene]

I like Alaska. Dennis

[280Ackley]

I am very happy in Nebraska and I lived in Kansas for 5 years, in some ways it was even better.

[Dean D.]

Hi Kent, I live in Washington State but was born 35 miles to the east in Idaho. Washington is controlled by left wingers on the west side of the state. The people living on the east side of the Cascade Mt.'s are predominantly conservative and hold their gun rights dearly. If only we could form our own state!

As a general rule I'd have to say Idaho or Montana are the far better choices for your criteria in my general area.

[Idaho_Elk_Huntr]

Idaho is great and the state goverment support hunters. Also we had nothing to do with Obama getting elected. Taxes are a heckof a lot cheaper than most places. Hunting is good as any place in the lower 48. The MRS'S and me have had a blast since we got here. Checkout my album for some of our hunting photos.

[montana_charlie]

I'd have to say that the best state for any shooter is the state of financial solvency.
If you can pick a state and take your income with you, then any choice works.

But, if you like the sound of North Dakota, or Montana, or Wyoming...just remember that some types of jobs don't even exist in those 'primitive' states.

And, if you have tired of Illinois winters...well...
CM

[1Shirt]

In priority sequence:
Alaska(wish I had never left)
Montana
Wy
The Dakotas (either of them)
Kansas
Mo
Nebraska

Good Luck! Keep us posted on your decision!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[Down South]

Louisiana to me has a very good opinion about hunters and shooters. We have a lot of public land in state and federal reserves. There is a wide selection of private clubs that can be joined but as a general rule the private clubs are getting a little pricey. I haven’t been a member of one in a while now but I have plenty of places to hunt or shoot that are freely available to me. Mississippi would be another state that likes hunters and shooters.
One problem with you being from Illinois to down here would be tolerating the heat we have in the summer. I’m sure there are plenty states that you can choose from.

[felix]

If you are a shooter foremost, and a hunter once or twice a year, pick your area based upon the political climate of that area, typically on a county basis. New Madrid County in MO used to be one fine place; no more. ... felix

[testhop]

same as 1shirt .
some to cross off would be N.Y MASS CONN NJ AND MOST OF ALL MY STATE OF MARYLAND

[crabo]

I think we need more criteria.

What kind of climate?

Hunting or shooting priorites?

Competitions?

Conceal Carry options? (hard to beat Texas for that)

Rural or city?

Did I muddy the waters sufficently?

[HeavyMetal]

The only state, besides Calif., that I have any experience with is Nevada.

I have family that live in the Carson City area that I vist 4 or 5 times a year.

The little town my mom lives in has a county maintained range that is supported by the public with donations as you use it. We always plan a shooting day when I visit and have had the oppertunity, afford by very nice local shooters, to shoot suppressed pistols, H&K MP5's, full auto, as well as other type black guns. I also got to shoot a Sharps in 38-55.

The range is a self governed set up without the usual overseer appointed by the county.
every visit has been safe, fun and, as a "flat lander", I was not snubbed by the locals. Something I won't say for ranges I've used in SoCal.

Montana Charlie is correct about jobs! I would move tomorrow if I could match my income source! Sadly this move will have to wait until I retire or hit the lottery.

AS for weather? Well typical Mountain stuff, mild snow, rain and such during the winter about the same temps during the summer as So Cal, but fishing, hunting and other outdoor stuff within a 1/2 hours drive rather than 4 or 5 hours.

Good luck on your relocation.

[Terrier]

It might be easier to decide where not to live. Michigan has open carry(be careful), concealed carry(getting better and if we can get ride of the Canadian Liberal much better, plenty of hunting, beautiful scenery, true 4 seasons, lots of ranges. Biggest negative is very high unemployment.
Terrier

[waksupi]

Montana is pretty good, as exemplified by their recent move on states rights, and firearms.
Bring your own money, there ain't much here.
The Dakotas are a real hunters paradise for small game, deer, and I hear elk are being more available in the badlands.

To get a feel for Montana, try these pages, along with other states.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/

http://www.city-data.com/city/Montana3.html

[JIMinPHX]

AZ is pretty good.

We have 13 million acres of public land. Open carry is legal with no permit. CCW is shall issue. You have your choice of climates from blazing hot in Phoenix, to cool up around Flagstaff. You can hunt small game pretty much 365 days per year. We have a good supply of whitetails, mulies, pronghorn, javalina, big horn sheep, buffalo, cats, bears, coyotes, wabbits, quail & even a published season for snipe. Hunting weapon regs are pretty open minded. I could hunt cotton tails with a snub nosed .38 if I wanted to. We have dense forest, chaparral, desert, & several other types of hunting areas. There are several large & well run shooting ranges in the state too.

[square butte]

We've been looking at this question quite seriously now for at least 6 months. For us, it's a bit of a moving target in some ways as political and economic issues seem to be evolving rapidly. Obviously, it's important to be able to make a living where ever it is if you need to - it's gotta be affordable to you individually for what ever your needs are. We like the easy favorites on the list - MT,WY,ID,ND,SD and AK. What intrigues us the most is the emerging list of states that are begining to draw a line in the sand regarding states rights issues. Some have drawn the line a little more boldly than others, or are in the process of doing so. So far we like what MT, ID, UT, TX, OK and some others are beginning to do. Looks like KY, TN and probably some others are not far behind. Our inclination is to go with one of the states that more strongly asserts itself with regards states rights and 2nd ammendment issues. Seems our last lines of protection from an onerous federal gov't will be State Gov'ts and local law enforcement who are sworn to uphold and defend THE Constitution - know what the Oath means - and are willing and bound to their oaths to do just that. Also it seems important to us to be able to afford enough land to be able to shoot on our own propoerty - or have access to public land where shooting is not a problem and a good range close by. And a community where 2nd ammendment and conservative values are not persicuted. I would like to here more about these issues and ideas from folks in KY, TN, AR, LA, MO, NE, NM and CO.

[herb101]

In Arkansas hunting and fishing is a religion. Como clothing in dress clothes. We have conceal and carry laws but no castle doctoring . Public National wild life reserved for outdoor recreation plus many game and fish lakes and hunting reserves, and timber leases.

[Superfly]

Northern mn, Has it all. Free gun ranges all the hunting you want cheap housing and yes there is work too. and lots of fishing.

I said northern mn not the twin cities bullcrap !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Horsemen]

Your question has a very simple answer. Where ever you have access to do what you want to do. It may be in your back yard. (The range is still in progress)
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j69/Horsemen1/range.jpg
I like California for one simple reason. We still have axcess to open spaces.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j69/Horsemen1/lake.jpg
The left will not go into certain arias. And one of these arias is where I live.
All the lower 48 states have what you are looking for. If i could find it in California, You may not need to move far from where you are. Just do some reserch:-D

Regards:Mike

[Nazgul]

Try just over the border in Indiana. Moved here 15 years ago and it is very gun friendly. We live in the souther part of the state and have generally mild winters.

Don

[Thumbcocker]

I wold take a herd look at Kentucky. Lots of deer, turkey, and small game. Also the biggest elk herd in the east. Moderate climate and good growing season.

[Steve]

I have only lived in two different states, MI and CO. Michigan has high property taxes, decent hunting/fishing. Government is northeast/Canadian liberal. I don't want to support it...period. Colorado is good on the western slope; pretty nice state except for the Denver area. I'm leaning toward AZ, but I'd bitch about the fishing there. So just where is paradise?

[Rockydog]

While Wisconsin is one of the few states not to have concealed carry it is, other than DAS KAPITOL MADISON, fairly gun friendly. It has more Trap and Skeet Clubs than any other state. Wildlife is abundant with a huge population of huge Whitetails, big flocks of Turkeys and tons of small game. While the DNR makes it's share of boo boos they seem to have an overall good program. Fishing is very good with the Mississippi River on one side and the Great Lakes on two other sides. Very good Trout waters in the SW corner and Muskies, Pike, panfish and Walleyes through out the state. There are a fair number of local gunsmiths and sportshops here too. Other than a 9 year stint in Iowa I've been here all of my life. Iowa was OK but their deer seasons are totally screwy and shotgun only. RD

[MtGun44]

California is gun friendly???????

I was born there and enjoy a short visit to friends periodically, but would NEVER live
there again. Taxes, general loony liberal laws, especially anti-gun laws. Why do you
think Sierra moved from CA to MO?

KS is nice for gun owners - basically no gun laws at a state level on purchases, CCW shall issue, lots of hunting
for birds, real trophy deer, turkeys. Full auto and such is legal. No "assault weapon" or other weird laws, state
pre-emption has wiped out some strange gun laws in a few cities, we passed a range protection act and castle
doctrine in the last decade.

Bill

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

funny thing, I moved here in summer of 1978 from southern Illinois. 71% of the ground is state or federal owned. Pretty low taxes, but the jobs are scarce now. We have fairly moderate climate in the SW part.

Rich
Buff Killer

[leadman]

Az is a good state to live in. Just about all the big game hunting is thru a lottery though. I have been trying for 15 years to get drawn for antelope! There are a few hunts for archery that are over the counter. Fishing is excellent, way better than Michigan.

Thumbcocker, the elk that replenished your elk herd came off the range that I normally hunt. They were trapped and transported to Kentucky.

[RugerFan]

In the 6 states I’ve lived in, 3 are very gun friendly. I’ll leave Alaska out since you mentioned winter weather was an issue. That leaves Texas and Georgia. Both allow concealed carry permits and have decent winter weather. Good hunting and fishing in both, but Georgia has much more public hunting (and I believe more public shooting ranges). On the other hand Texas land was cheaper, so you can get more acreage for the money. Can’t go wrong in either state.

[The Double D]

http://www.mercatus.org/uploadedFiles/Mercatus/Publications/Freedom%20in%20the%2050%20States.pdf

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Alaska , Montana, Wyoming, Idaho...If you want warm..Texas, Nevada, Arizona, New mexico{parts of}.......make your move to a place you really like, if you and yours really are sick of winter, I would make it to Texas....hard to beat, plenty of heat.
Good Luck

[Dframe]

I'm the wrong person to ask. I'm stuck here with you in Illinois. I don't plan on leaving just trying to change it back to a more friendly place.

[Wayne Smith]

Nobody's mentioned Virginia yet. Shall issue, open carry, state managed hunting lands, National Forest lands. Unusual but not particularly remarkable to see someone open carrying even here in Hampton Roads.

[captaint]

Pennsylvania is very gun friendly. Only the Phila politicians like to blame them bad guns and the rest of the state is not having it. I think Pa is #2 is hunting license sales nationally. I've had a carry permit for 25 years - no flak. Fishing everywhere, salt water an hour or two away. Just my 2 cents. Mike.

[Idaho_Elk_Huntr]

Nobody's mentioned Virginia yet. Shall issue, open carry, state managed hunting lands, National Forest lands. Unusual but not particularly remarkable to see someone open carrying even here in Hampton Roads.


Dont forget all the hunters using hounds to chase deer off your property. :Fire:

[atr]

I'm live in Washington state, and this state is Controlled by the liberal left. The west side of the state, were the population is greatest, is pretty much anti gun and hunting. The east side of the state is conservative and is a great place to hunt/fish etc.

[wildwilly]

Definitely not The Peoples' Demokratik Republik of Kaliforniastan. But demographically, the state is really quite red in landscape. But, I'm amazed to discover the resourcefulness of CA gun owners to work within all the loopy anti-gun laws.

Beware USA. What ruin the libs have done to CA awaits the rest of the nation.

[leadeye]

+1 for Indiana, we don't have the wide variety of game they have out west but hunting is pretty good. I like the southern half of the state. Land is cheaper and more wooded.[smilie=s:

[archmaker]

Oklahoma is okay, lived there most of my life. Climate does have seasons which I cannot say about the Houston area (Summer for 7 months, 2 1/2 months of fall, and 2 1/2 months of Spring, with one day of winter).

Tempature extremes in Ok do happen.

Fairly gun friendly, and last I checked some decent hunting. Heck you can hunt Elk in The Wichita Wildlife refuge if you get pulled, and the SE corner used to have a lot of semi-public land (you payed Weheyser $16 a year to hunt on their land).

Good Fishing, and not a ton of people (Population of Houston exceeds the population of Oklahoma).

Texas, you pay to hunt. Seems leases are the way of life and they ain't cheap. Gun friendly in most places.

Given my choice . . . I would probably pick the SW Corner of Colorado (Lived there briefly). But I do have a lifetime Hunting and Fishing for Oklahoma and still use it on occasion.

[AZ-Stew]

I've lived in Indiana, Virginia, Commiefornia and Arizona. Of them all, I like Arizona best.

Indiana is OK, but it has the same winters you complain about. They are one of the reasons I live here. Deer hunting is MUCH better than it was when I grew up there 40 years ago. On the other hand, deer hunting is limited to archery, muzzle loader and handgun, or a rifle firing handgun cartridges (think rimmed, straight-wall). Small game abounds. Gun laws very reasonable.

Virginia has some of the screwiest laws I've seen anywhere. Imagine imposing a tax on businesses that fail. If they fail, they have no money, so how are they supposed to pay the tax? That aside, hunting was excellent there 30-35 years ago. I recall paying $5 for big game tags that included two deer, one bear and three turkeys - all for $5! I'm sure the price has gone up, but I think you get even more opportunities for your $$ now. Be aware that it rains every three days, whether you need it or not. When you first start studying the game regs, you'll find that the weapons allowed vary by county. You'll spend several days trying to decipher the map telling you what you can use where. The eastern part of the state is all private land. If you want to hunt there you'll have to join a hunt club so you can hunt the land they lease from the owners. Take my word for it, it's all leased. There's no asking a land owner for permission because the clubs that lease the land have exclusive rights. In the Eastern part of the state, vegetation is generally so thick that the only way to hunt deer is to stir them up with dogs. I never warmed up to that style of hunting. In the western and central parts of the state there's a lot of state-owned public hunting land and a lot of National Forest land. If I recall, you have to buy a NF hunting stamp to use it. Gun laws are reasonable, but keep your eyes on the legislature. Learn how to repel mosquitos and ticks. When it snows, entertain yourself watching the natives try to drive in it.

Commiefornia has some good deer hunting in the central mountains, around the Fresno and Bakersfield areas. Go high (elevation). Good jackrabit shooting in the desert, if you are still allowed to go there. Some of it is in the Mojave reserve and is inaccessable. Gun laws sucked when I left there 25 years ago and have only gotten worse. The State wants to control everything you do.

Arizona has excellent quail and dove hunting in the desert areas, so long as the previous season had normal or better rainfall. No rain, no weeds. No weeds, no seeds. No seeds, no birds. A wet year almost immediately produces a bumper crop of everything. We have the world's largest Ponderosa pine forrest. It's larger than many Eastern states. We have plenty of deer and elk, but we also have too many people, so the tags are by lottery. We have seven species of tree squirrel, more than any other state. We have turkey, javalina, buffalo, pronghorn and desert bighorn, though these last three are near impossible to get drawn for. Gun laws are excellent. Shall-issue CCW, open carry, no background check if you have the CCW. No FOID nonsense or licensing, other than CCW. No gun registration of any kind. This is a "right-to-work" state, meaning that you can't be forced to join a union to get or keep a job. We also have better shooting ranges than I've seen in any of the other three states where I've lived.

There's my $0.02.

Regards,

Stew

[Trifocals]

South Dakota Black Hills area. Milder winters, liberal gun laws, very friendly laid back people, great hunting and fishing. You will never tire of the area. Not a highly industrialized state, but there are always jobs for those willing to work to keep bread and beans on the table. Check it out.

[oksmle]

A couple of things to consider before moving to Oklahoma:
1) It was the only state in all 57 where every one of the counties were Red.
2) Generally, Oklahoma Democrats are more conservative than most all other state's Republicans.
oksmle

[405]

Buy or rent a very cheap-to-operate car. Set aside a month or two and go look-see. Talk to the locals. Check the local and state tax situation. Check land market prices. In some areas the best shooting situation would be a lot of cheap land for some buffer and at least a 1000 yard range. Shooting Utopia would be to have the long outdoor range and a culvert covered all weather range :mrgreen: Get a feel for some areas. I like those places that no one else likes. Utopia in the future US of Amerika??... won't be able to escape the feds no matter which state. :(

My personal choices would include- some of Wyo. or bush AK. If you're looking for wide open public land... check with the BLM for land status maps/areas. But both the USFS and BLM are seeing green touchy feely these days so that isn't a sure bet either in all areas. :(

[wrcook]

One of the reasons that we moved to Maine, 20 plus years ago was that it was gun friendly. There is a long time hunting tradition, there are planty of open spaces (woods too), and all the public land is accessable to hunters, and a lot of the private land is too. There are few gun laws, and those few seem to make sense. I have a range on my property, and can even shoot off my own porch. When I got my class III weapon, all the law enforcement people thought it was cool. Besides myself there are at least two others in my area who own full autos. Maine is a neat place. The biggest downside is a lack of employment, and jobs are hard to find unless you are in one of the high demand professions.

Bill C

[AZ-Stew]

Forgot to mention that Class 3 is allowed and that only 17 percent of the state's land is private. 1/4 of the state is Indian reservation, a lot of National Parks and National Monuments, LARGE areas of National Forest and LARGE areas of BLM land, as well as many tracts of State Trust land. Generally speaking, the Monuments, Forest, BLM and State Trust land is open to hunting without any permits other than the state hunting license. We have more free public hunting land than most Eastern states have land.

Regards,

Stew

[txpete]

I have lived in the following states thanks to uncle suger.fl,ky,ga,sc,mo,wa and texas.
I really liked GA some real fine folks down there but the taxes were very high.I ended up staying in texas after I retired.good hunting and fishing & no income tax.the state is one of the best for taking care of its disabled vets.I haven't bought a hunting/fishing license or plates for my truck in years:-D.
pete

[Gee_Wizz01]

I grew up in TX and I am partial to the state. As stated before no income tax, relatively conservative, generally very reasonable prices, concealed carry, hunting, shooting sports and gun friendly. As stated earlier, hunting is usually by leases, but reasonable ones can be found, you just have know where to look. That being said, Uncle Sam has me living in FL right now, and it is also very gun friendly, has easy concealed carry, lots of public hunting land, but most require lottery drawing for deer and hogs. Lots of Hunt Clubs and plenty of good gun clubs and other places to shoot. The biggest problem here in FL the constant influx of liberal yankees who want to bring New York city type laws here. Yes there are some good conservative northerners but they are few and far between. The best part is that it doesn't get cold in Florida. And there is no income tax here in Florida either.

G

[DeepSouth]

Mississippi,very short winters.Snow, the first time I saw snow(in any large amount in MS)I was 24.It was about an inch.It does get warm.We do have hurricanes but they are not that often.Lots of deer,turkey,have some bear.Land is cheap and some of the best people you will ever meet.If you have enough land you can shoot in the backyard and nobody cares,if you don,t have enough land you can still shoot in your backyard and nobody cares to much.That maybe a turn off!MISSISSIPI GIVE IT A TRY!

[Leadforbrains]

All I can tell you pretty much anywhere down south. We still have some rights left down there .....at least for now anyway. Maine and New hampshire would be an exception. I was visiting the great state of Maine, and I went to the Kittery trading post in Kittery Maine. I walked out with a Marlin 1894 in .44 mag in 25 minutes, and I am from out of State. The folks in that store were super nice to me to.

[BD]

I've lived and worked in PA, WV, SC, NY and ME, and a couple of foriegn countries. Out of all of them, northern Maine is by far the most gun friendly. Game is not super plentiful, but they do have deer, bear, moose, grouse, rabbits, bobcats, racoons and turkeys. You're allowed to be out hunting something or other from late August through the end of march, and there's plenty of room to do it in. You're still allowed to run bear with hounds, or hunt them over bait. There's an action pistol match somewhere within an hour's drive every weekend during the good weather, and plenty of indoor pistol ranges available for winter shooting if you're so inclined.

Downsides: Very little work, only one deer a year, (with a few exceptions), no hunting on Sundays, high taxes and lots of state regulation of business. Also, southern Maine, where the liberals live. In the 1990 census there were 1 million people in Maine, and 750,000 of them were in the five counties of the portland area. That leaves the rest of us spread kinda thin up north. If I go west out of my back door I pass my neighbor's house and then it's a 26 mile walk to the next paved road. Going east, I pass a couple of neighbors within 400 yards and then it's another 35 miles to a paved road. It's 40 miles to McDonalds, 75 miles to the movie theatre. Gotta love that.

We haven't decided if Bangor is really part of northern Maine or not, after all it is south of Abbott village :) they do have a movie theatre though.

IMO the ++ out wiegh the --, We still own our home in Greenville, and I'll move back as soon as there's work, or when there's no work anywhere, whichever comes first.

BD

[MakeMineA10mm]

Well, back in 2006, I did a comparison of states with the following criteria:

CCW - "Shall-issue," "May-Issue," "Forbidden"
NFA weapons legal - "No restrictions," "Some restrictions," "Forbidden"
Total State & Local taxes for an average person - "(dollar figure)"
Crime statistics (from the FBI Uniform Report data)

I found the best states were:

Idaho
South Dakota
Utah
New Hampshire
Colorado
Oklahoma
Texas
New Mexico
Louisiana
Arizona
Florida
South Carolina
Nevada
Alaska
Ohio
Maine


The WORST places to live were:

California
Maryland
Delaware
Iowa
Hawaii
Rhode Island
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
Illinois
Washington D.C.
(Connecticut and Wisconsin would not be high on my list either.)


The best states all had lower taxes (Colorado was highest at $4100/annum, just 200/annum over the national average), shall-issue CCW, unlimited NFA weapons availability (at the state/local level - you still have the NFA34 law, of course), and generally low crime rates (worst of the good list was South Carolina w/ 784 violent crimes and 4505 property crimes per 100,000 population).

If you take Colorado out of the top 6 (because of taxes and crime), I'd be giddy to live in any of the other five. (I've marked them in red for you.) Look at a map and watch the weather channel for about 12 months on those five states to see what you want to handle as far as weather goes... Personally, I've had my fill of frigid winters and being in tornado alley (two more great attributes of IL), so I'd pick Utah for myself.

[j23]

"Almost Heaven!" or "Wild and Wonderful!" (...thats West Virginia!)

The state's general population (aside from some yuppie transplants in the eastern panhandle, fleeing from the District of Columbia...) are firearms friendly, to say the least.

In fact, if you dont have a .22 or thudy-thudy by your door, or hanging from your simple, high-school-shop-class-produced-gun-rack, you may be excommunicated!

...not to mention the extremely liberal bag limits on whitetailed deer. Last year between city limit hunts, landowner tags, anterless, bucks only, muzzleloader, and archery, I harvested seven deer. ...and of course I borrowed a few from my neighbors, Ohio and Pennsylvania!

I love West Virginia, and Im sure most of you would too!

[RugerFan]

South Dakota Black Hills area. Milder winters, liberal gun laws, very friendly laid back people, great hunting and fishing.

Great hunting and fishing yes, but "milder winters" ??? Milder than what? Whats the annual snow fall and average temps in January?

[piwo]

Your border in MO the past 4 years passed concealed carry, passed the castle doctrine, and seeks to expand that even further. Unfortunately, a new Governor's who's alliances are with his party (which if fond of curtailing 2nd amendment civil liberties) is in control of the mansion, but not the legislature. Unlike Il, deer hunters can use centerfire rifles, nice ranges exist, and public ground in all areas of the state. But that is the weak link. The state has been trying to improve the 91% private to 9% pubic land ratio. Using taxpayer’s money to outbid individuals for land is BS, but the conservation commission still remains pro hunter, so I'm still happy about that. No FOID card, good hunting, decent ranges public and private. I'm pretty please overall.......

[JW6108]

Buy or rent a very cheap-to-operate car. Set aside a month or two and go look-see. Talk to the locals. Check the local and state tax situation. Check land market prices. In some areas the best shooting situation would be a lot of cheap land for some buffer and at least a 1000 yard range. Shooting Utopia would be to have the long outdoor range and a culvert covered all weather range :mrgreen: Get a feel for some areas. I like those places that no one else likes. Utopia in the future US of Amerika??... won't be able to escape the feds no matter which state. :(

My personal choices would include- some of Wyo. or bush AK. If you're looking for wide open public land... check with the BLM for land status maps/areas. But both the USFS and BLM are seeing green touchy feely these days so that isn't a sure bet either in all areas. :(

Excellent advice.

Another thing you can do is read the local paper online, where available. This can fill in some of the info gaps as per local government, crime, businesses, etc.

[wiljen]

TN has no income tax, shall issue carry, NFA legal, and a low crime rate if you stay out of memphis. Worth adding to your list.

[mooman76]

The western states excluding CA have a whole different attitude toward guns as apposed to the rest of the country. They also have for the most part allot of open spaces to shoot. Being retired military I did get around abit. UT is good, might want more toward the south though even though wenters aren't as bad as IL except maybe the mountains of UT. NV isn't bad but southern NV is too hot for me and not much hunting fishing in the southern part but much better in the nothern part. Pick a western state that suits you.

[Ole]

I would say AZ is in the running (top 10), but we're already full. :mrgreen:

[missionary5155]

Good Evening
I am still hoping someone from New Mexico will speak up... I am considering retiring there some fine day when Peru is no longer a possibility to start Bible orientated Churches.
I lived in Tennessee for 7 years and would easily go back.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Plus 1 for WV- only the "city folk" look a little sideways at you when you have a gun.
Montani Semper Liberi- MOUNTAINEERS ARE ALWAYS FREE (State Motto) and he carries a gun too!
(on the flag- check it out).

Everyone is welcome here, very friendly people, and a lower than average unemployment rate (currently)- just don't bring the ways of others with you, and expect us to change, please- we'd like to remain free.

We have the best of most everything- 4 seasons (the lengths vary at times); not too cold or too hot (varies some too); green hills & mountains; lots of game (both big and little); very little or none of the annoying types of insects (depends on where and how you live- mosquitos, flies, politicians, etc.); Only 3 kinds of snakes to worry about- Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, and Politicians (them again?); we're within 500 miles of most of the major population centers (if that thrills you- not me) but the sometimes rugged terrain inconviences the liberals, and keeps most of them out.

You can drive all day (hell, all year) and never leave the state if'n you want- roads are well marked, fairly well maintained, and some are crooked as a dogs hind leg (don't pick those areas).

Even the dead can vote here- they do it every election in Lincoln Co. (got more dead voting than live ones there- Damnocrats, everyone).

We were one of the last states to get Swine Flu- maybe still not here yet, haven't heard lately.

On a sad note- we sometimes don't make enough money in our jobs. For some reason, no one wants to pay use a better wage than some other states get. However, on a good note, we have not had any problems with illegal immigrants- maybe we don't make enough money for them to do our work for us? Lots of work brickle people here, or good work ethic, as some call it.

You're welcome here with open arms.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Oh, yeah- our gene pool is not as small as some would have you believe either. Thought I might add that before the jokes get started! :-D (Thank you Dick Cheney) I can tell you where NOT to go here- if you're concerned about that. :-D

[MakeMineA10mm]

TN has no income tax, shall issue carry, NFA legal, and a low crime rate if you stay out of memphis. Worth adding to your list.

Hey Wil,
TN is on the list (it has all 50 states - I just abbreviated it for space here). Tennessee didn't have totally unbridled NFA laws. I checked suppressors, MGs and cannons, and TN restricted a few things from that list, whereas the top 16 states had no restrictions whatsoever (beyond the federal law). Tennessee's taxes ARE darn good but crime stats are actually a little higher than average (probably because of Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga). It is a beautiful state and the area between Nashville and Alabama is some of my favorite country. Just doggone scenic, it is!

I've noted a lot of mention of WV. It is in the middle of the list, too, just below TN. It has higher taxes and lower crime than TN. It has several restrictions on Class III toys, but does permit some.


Considering Class III may not be a big factor for many folks here, there probably are a lot of states that would be nice/acceptable to live in. Even if you do not want Class III, I figure how permissive the state is towards Class III tells you a lot about gun-friendliness overall, though.

I should also have mentioned in my first post, that the govt. Cost Of Living Index was compared for all of those states as well. Of my five favorites, Oklahoma was the cheapest as far as cost of living.

[parrott1969]

Mississippi, very gun freindly, low property taxes, cheap land ( as long as you stay away from oxford and lafayette county) and predominitley conservitive. Hey did i mention $127 will get you a ccw. No class required, it is a beautiful thing!:castmine: