Defensive Carry banner

Where/What State - Should I (We) Move?

5K views 67 replies 61 participants last post by  Drgnfly 
#1 ·
Hello folks! I've done my newbie post, so I guess I can ask a question now...

If I were to move away, out of the NE Tri-state area (NY/NJ/CT), what is the ideal State I can go, where:

- You are free to enjoy the liberty provided by the 2nd Amendment.
- You are free to use your firearms to protect yourself and to use for recreation (shooting).

Maybe, this had been asked before. Pls. point me to that thread. If anyone responds, it would be nice to see a short why your state is nice to move to. Thanks.
 
#4 ·
The problem with Texas is, there is little public land to shoot or hunt on. Everything is privately owned.

Go west young man, go west. Stop before you get to Kommiefornia though.
 
#6 ·
I did my research and landed in Mississippi, but one of my requirements was declining population based on 2000 census. Overall taxes are a little steep. They get you pretty good on a new vehicle. It's hot. Land is cheap enough and so are homes.
 
#7 ·
IDAHO: Excerpt from Wikipedia. More there. "The landscape is rugged with some of the largest unspoiled natural areas in the United States. For example, at 2.3 million acres (9,300 km2), the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area is the largest contiguous area of protected wilderness in the continental United States. Idaho is a Rocky Mountain state with abundant natural resources and scenic areas. The state has snow-capped mountain ranges, rapids, vast lakes and steep canyons. The waters of the Snake River rush through Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in the United States."

Conservative state, guns abound, usually ranked one of the top places to live, raise kids, etc., by magazines such as Forbes, Outdoor magazines, etc. Top 10 Downtowns 2012 - Boise, ID | Livability
 
#8 ·
Idaho.

We've only lived in Idaho for about 1 1/2 years, but here's the gun related stuff that has happened.
1) Someone at church put out an open invitation for anyone who wanted to come over for some shooting and a picnic. My wife and I went, there were probably about 20 people, both men and women there. There was a shotgun area and a rifle area, one guy even brought two black powder muzzle loaders. You could shoot whatever you wanted, it was a lot of fun. This place was in the middle of a 350 acre farm, which is currently not farmed. While this was going on, we heard a noise in the woods, everyone stopped shooting, and then two dogs, followed by a guy on horse back showed up. It turned out that he was a sheep herder looking for his flock.
2) Later we were invited to a friends for dinner and shooting. After we ate, we shot a variety of guns including an AR and AK. Their house is on the side of a hill (which would be called a mountain if it was in Illinois).
3) A different friend/relative invited us to their house for dinner. After dinner he asked if I would like to see his "man cave." Of course, I said yes. It turns out that his man cave is more like a gun shop. His main hobby is making gun stocks out of slabs of wood. He has a very large gun safe which he said someone gave in exchange for a stock he made for them.
4) Several weeks ago, I was invited to an indoor shooting range for some practice/fun shooting.
5) Tomorrow I have been invited to another friends house, along with about 6 others, for a demo/tutorial on how to reload.

So, that all happened in about a year and a half. Prior to living in Idaho, we lived in Illinois for almost 30 years. In all that time, nothing even close to any of this happened.
 
#14 ·
New Hampshire...No registration, no waiting period. Shall issue(with no class or test). Permit guaranteed in 14 days. Open carry with no license, low crime, good schools, no sales tax, no state income tax...And still pretty close to NJ
 
#32 ·
I agree. It's great for gun owners here - and you can get Moonshine here too if you want too.

Our state motto is - Kentucky: The land of fast women and beautiful horses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BugDude
#17 ·
Go west, young man...

Enjoying life will come from more than gun issues. Taxes, weather, employment, etc. I really liked Spokane, WA, but the winters finally got to me and the job outlook wasn't good at the time. FL weather is generally too frigging humid to enjoy the outdoors. But it is in the high 70s today with no snow in the forecast.

You need to do a lot more research.
 
#18 ·
Wouldn't it be better to narrow down a list of states that meet the most important criteria and THEN factor in the 2A concerns for those states?

While 2A is important, it may take a back seat to things like cost of living, housing, taxes, public services like fire departments and medical, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rock and Glock
#23 ·
There are a lot of things to consider depending upon where you are in life. Retired folks would look at things differently, and the moving, in and of itself, is not cheap.
Is there a state income tax? How high are property taxes? Do they tax Social Security? Do they tax other retirement income? Employment? Gun laws? Weather? Demographics? Grandkid visits? Medical centers? Housing costs? Stand Your Ground Laws? Can I shoot out of my back door?
You could win on any of these and then lose on the others. The 'president' of our corporation and I HAVE been looking. The iNet is a good resource, but iffy.:image073:

When they start picking towns like Philly, NYC, or Chicago...I look elsewhere. It's certainly a coincidence (NOT) that stringent gun laws also seem to pair with high taxes...darn blue states.:hand1:

Idaho is pretty gun friendly, but the climate is a little chilly. I could live in Southern Idaho.:comeandgetsome:

Alaska would be perfect, but it's soooooo far away from everything else. The AK climate is also a bit chilly except for some places in the Southeast. We lived in AK for 7 years and the 'president' probably wouldn't go back...I would.:yup:

Oklahoma is tempting, great gun laws, weather is fine, housing is reasonable. This is an example of where saving on housing costs and house taxes are offset by income tax on retirement.:ticking:

I'm amazed each time I see what the money spent in FL could buy in some other states...FL housing and land is not cheap, even with the depression we are in...and the taxes in this county on housing is almost robbery. There is no question that the weather is outstanding, and I certainly do not miss Michigan winters. Add to that pretty good gun laws, but you have to either have a friend with a lot of land or go to a range to shoot.:palmier:

Alabama, Arkansas, Wyoming, Missouri, Nevada, and Arizona all have either taxing, or demographic issues, but Arkansas and Alabama, and Tennessee would be very nice, but TN does have some taxing concerns.:ahoi:

I believe that Northeast Rural Texas seems to float to the top for a number of issues...taxes, housing costs, and gun laws (nothing beats their Stand Your Ground...ask Mr. Horn). Oklahoma is another place that I could see going. Kentucky is great for retirees, and it would put us much closer to our grandkids. Taxes very much favor those not in the workforce and guns seem to be a way of life there...I could shoot out my backdoor. Kentucky could be a good consideration.:hand56:

So, I guess I've narrowed it down to TX, OK, or KY for this ship to sail, but for now, the Captain of this ship is keeping her at the dock...I'm just part of the deck crew here.:eek:uttosea:

In any of these states, the particular place/area in the state is also important for other reasons. It is even more fun looking when 'employment' isn't on the list of concerns.

No one is going to like another man's choice 100%. It's like picking out a woman, ALL are beautiful, it's just that some are more beautiful than others.:image035:

Well, whoever is looking to move...good luck and enjoy the search, we certainly are...

To the OP, remiaj...
Compared to where you are leaving, even Russia would be nicer.:joke:
 
#25 ·
I was 12 years old when my family moved from New Jersey to Tennessee, and Thank Goodness for that decision. I can only shiver at the thought of how different things would be if we had stayed.

Tennessee is a really beautiful state; lots of foliage and hills and plenty of bodies of water, too, if you're an outdoors person. The sky is clearer. That was one of the first things I noticed when we moved. I looked up at night, and there was a blanket of stars. You'll get a culture shock, but in a lot of good ways, too. When you get past the slow drawl a lot of Tennesseans have, you'll notice that if someone has a flat tire on the side of the road, it'll not take ten minutes before someone pulls over to help. If you have a gun, your neighbor will show you his. :image035: There's a lot of self-sufficient people in the more rural parts. After Katrina hit, I saw a long convoy of utility trucks head south. We are the Volunteer State for a reason.

Very gun friendly. Shall issue. Castle doctrine.

There is no wage income tax. The last time the state considered it, there was a large "meeting" of citizens at the capitol. I don't think they'll try it again anytime soon.

Just move outside of any major city limits (I'd recommend that for any state).

If you have strong allergies, TN will not be the state for you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PAPADALE1
#29 ·
If I had money and didn't need to work full time I'd probably go to Kentucky or Alaska. Somewhere out in the backwoods, avoiding the cities as much as possible. I'm sick of the city rat race and not being able to step outside and setup a target for practice, but unless I win the lottery I ain't gonna be able to move anywhere.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Foo909 and darbo
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top