A Different Question

[FoxtrotRomeo]

Ok so we commonly see "the top 5 or 10 most gun-unfriendly states in the US".

What about the top 5 or 10 gun-friendly states?

What states are they?

I know one is Tennessee. Pretty nice gun laws. But what about the others?

[egor20]

Virginia is about one of friendliest gun states I've ever lived in. Living in the boonies also helps, and to think I'm only 45 miles from D.C. ((shudders))

http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/virginia.pdf

[MLeake]

Georgia, most definitely, especially since 2008 (state preempted lower level gun regs).

[BILLtheDJguy]

Quote from the movie, Shooter, "Welcome to Tennessee...The patron state of shootin' stuff..."
Florida has to be up there on the list. Not sure how high, though...

[cannonfire]

I 2nd the vote for Georgia, they just did a way with a lot of the no carry zones within the past year or so. And its a shall issue state, not a may issue. And no registering the firearms with the state, NFA, suppressors, what's not to love?

[k31]

for the most part west virginia was perty laid back

[Wag]

In no particular order

Arizona
Alaska
Vermont
Florida
Texas
Utah
New Mexico

Just seems like they are okay with guns for the most part.

--Wag--

[rdmallory]

Kentucky,

Open carry is legal.
CCDW includes knives.
Must issue state.

[JimPage]

VERMONT!

The law says only that it is illegal to carry/possess a gun with the intent to commit a crime. Period!

[ethan95]

Alaska
Arizona
New Hampshire
Montana
Utah
Pennsylvania
Idaho
Vermont
Georgia
In no particular order

[FoxtrotRomeo]

Welcome to Tennessee...The patron state of shootin' stuff...

I can vouch for that. We don't care what the capacity is. It's also a Shall Issue state.

Kentucky is pretty good. I've carried in KY after checking there laws. Being able to carry a knife is a bonus.

What's the deal with Montana? I know I've heard of some law changes there that changes a few things but still gun-friendly.

[MLeake]

The problem in TN last I checked was the state did not preempt the locals from banning parks, restaurants, etc - which adds all sorts of trip planning issues when going up there from GA.

[jughead2]

i also heard that tn is the only state that has force of law behind the gun-buster sign. some of our representatives are just a little off.

[alloy]

No complaints about Virginia. A few things changed recently for the better such as vehicle carry and restaurant carry.

We got gun show loophole, easy permit, and card shootin' matches in old chicken coops every Friday and Saturday nite if ya know where to look.

VA might not be in the top 5 but it's up there somewhere.

[Spats McGee]

I don't know that Arkansas will rank in the top 5, but we're pretty 2A friendly.

-- We're a shall issue state.
-- No registration requirement.
-- Cities and counties are specifically restricted in their ability to enact any ordinance regulating the possession, transfer, sale, or ownership of firearms or ammunition. (Arkansas Code Annotated 14-54-1411)

[wally626]

No complaints about Virginia. A few things changed recently for the better such as vehicle carry and restaurant carry.

We got gun show loophole, easy permit, and card shootin' matches in old chicken coops every Friday and Saturday nite if ya know where to look.

VA might not be in the top 5 but it's up there somewhere.

VA falls down in a few areas but mostly good as far as ownership and concealed carry goes. Current areas that could be improved include:

Woods carry, very restricted in National and State forests, no shooting except ranges. Need parking lot law, so employers cannot ban storage in cars while at work. Restaurants, can carry in restaurants now, but the whole section of law just needs repealed not filled with exceptions. Castle doctrine. This is mostly covered by case-law, not a big issue in VA in practice but formal removal of civil liability in good shoots would be very helpful. One handgun a month law needs repealed. CPP needs to be CWP.
No Church carry needs repealed.

I would put Arizona, Alaska and Vermont as top three, not sure from there but VA is in top 10 for ownership rights, maybe not shooting rights.

[alloy]

Yes, an official castle doctrine would be an improvement altho in practice(from what I read) the courts seem to play it straight.
The one handgun a month can dealt with by private purchases or a CCW permit, if the opportunity for a must have purchase comes up, but I do see your points.
On a day to day basis...I still consider VA very firearm friendly and find that it is rare that I'm upset by the rules. All in all you are likely more correct than I am.
Course alot of my VA attitude comes from reading here....about Cali, DC, Illinois, Jersey etc.

[Bud Helms]

Without a doubt, Georgia is in the top 5.

[Al Norris]

There are several quantifiable methods of indexing freedom. Gun rights is only one.

Of what use are your gun freedoms, if your State imposes severe restrictions on your other personal freedoms? Of what use are your gun rights, if the State imposes harsh economic conditions?

A new study by the Mercatus Center (George Mason University) has published rankings on personal and economic freedoms, by State. The PDF is here.

This study ranks the state by Fiscal Policy; Regulatory Policy; Economic Freedom and Personal Freedom (ranked as Paternalism). The following table is the overall ranking (by combining the 3 above). The manner and methods are explained in the above linked PDF file and are interesting (as in, gun control is 6.7% of the overall ranking - the highest in all the weighted groups).

Table V: Overall Freedom Ranking
State              Overall Freedom

1. New Hampshire   0.432
2. Colorado        0.421
3. South Dakota    0.392
4. Idaho           0.356
5. Texas           0.346
6. Missouri        0.320
7. Tennessee       0.284
8. Arizona         0.279
9. Virginia        0.275
10. North Dakota   0.268
11. Utah           0.250
12. Kansas         0.210
13. Indiana        0.208
14. Michigan       0.206
15. Wyoming        0.193
16. Iowa           0.183
17. Georgia        0.146
18. Oklahoma       0.143
19. Montana        0.125
20. Pennsylvania   0.102
21. Alabama        0.092
22. Florida        0.068
23. North Carolina 0.019
24. Nevada         0.013
25. Mississippi    -0.004
26. Delaware       -0.008
27. Oregon         -0.009
28. Nebraska       -0.018
29. Arkansas       -0.023
30. South Carolina -0.040
31. Alaska         -0.071
32. Kentucky       -0.082
33. West Virginia  -0.097
34. Louisiana      -0.110
35. Minnesota      -0.111
36. New Mexico     -0.150
37. Wisconsin      -0.199
38. Ohio           -0.205
39. Maine          -0.214
40. Vermont        -0.217
41. Connecticut    -0.225
42. Illinois       -0.238
43. Massachusetts  -0.242
44. Washington     -0.275
45. Hawaii         -0.304
46. Maryland       -0.405
47. California     -0.413
48. Rhode Island   -0.430
49. New Jersey     -0.457
50. New York       -0.784

I hope no one is surprised by where your State is ranked?

[MLeake]

... is that the lady and I are considering moving when she finishes school.

List of states we were looking at:

1. Colorado (rank 2)
2. Missouri (rank 6)
3. South Dakota (rank 3)
4. Idaho (rank 4)
5. Pennsylvania (rank 20)
6. New Hampshire (rank 1)

New Hampshire would have ranked higher on our list, but one has to go through CT, MA, NY, and NJ to get from our family locations to there.

We like Georgia, but we're originally both northerners, and the summer heat and humidity are too much. Neither of us mind snow. Neither of us want states with large tax burdens (net of income, property, and sales). Neither of us are big on wealth redistribution programs. And, of course, I like shall-issue states with sensibly minimalist gun regulations.

So, while I wasn't aware of this list, I'm not too surprised by it - except that Georgia ranked a bit lower than I'd have thought. I suspect that's more an income and property tax issue.

[dusterdude]

and to think I'm only 45 miles from D.C.
dont worry egor,us real virginians wont hold that against you....lol

[dusterdude]

wally,hopefully with a republican governor now,we can get the parking lot law passed.

[Kreyzhorse]

I like to use the Brady Campaign's list of their "safest" states from a few years ago and start at the bottom of the list.

The Brady Campaign's "worse" states for their gun laws are:

Utah
Oklahoma
Louisiana
Kentucky
Idaho
Arizona
Alaska
West Virginia
South Dakota
North Dakota

Out of those states, it's hard to tell exactly what state is the most pro-gun, but I think you'd be hard pressed to argue against Kentucky.

Kentucky is a shall issues state. Your money and a one day class and shooting test will get you a license for 5 years. Kentucky is also an open carry state and anyone in the state, resident or not, can legally carry a loaded handgun in their glove box. It is also illegal for your employeer to prohibit you from keeping a loaded gun in your private vehicle even on their grounds.

[egor20]

One of the things I'm not sure I like about Virginia is one of the documents you can turn in for your CCW is a DD-214 saying that you were Honorably discharged. My wife and I took NRA courses for ours, and take a yearly legal course for updating.


BTW dusterdude
I do, I do, protest sir, and demand satisfaction
(in my best Foghorn Leghorn accent)

Farms been in the family for a 157 years
Decided training horses is more fun than standing behind them plowing

[divil]

Hehe you guys can claim to be in gun-friendly states when your streets are named like this



(Apart from Sharps Loop, Henry St., Browning Ave, Weatherby Way, Remington Ave, Stevens St, Springfield St...there might be some manufacturers in there I don't even recognize. The jury is out on Ithica drive because of the spelling)