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View Poll Results: Which has the best 2A future?
ME 7 19.44%
NH 13 36.11%
VT 10 27.78%
They will all go the way of NY/MA 6 16.67%
Voters: 36. You may not vote on this poll

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Old January 17, 2013, 10:53 AM   #1
win-lose
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Poll: ME, NH, VT - which has the best 2A future?

If you were going to move to one of these 3 states, which would you choose based on CONTINUED 2A freedoms?
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Old January 17, 2013, 11:24 AM   #2
Vermonter
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I live here now

Our Gov Shumlin has already stated that gun control is not a priority at the stat level and that he believes in a federal solution. We have some of the best gun laws in the nation I don't expect that to change.
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Old January 17, 2013, 12:49 PM   #3
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Hey Vermonter, check out S.32, the new bill in the VT Senate... you may change your mind about what you said.
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Old January 17, 2013, 01:42 PM   #4
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I voted NH because that's where I live, & the laws are ok atm.
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Old January 17, 2013, 01:55 PM   #5
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FSP is exerting a growing influence in NH. I expect they will have the most liberal laws in the country before too long.
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Old January 17, 2013, 02:10 PM   #6
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vermont bill

That bill grandfathers firearms otherwise legally owned prior to July 1 2013. Same for mags. Therevore everything I own is legal.

The rest focuses largely on the sotrage of a firearm around a minor child. I see no reason why anyone would have an issue with that. It doesn't even touch on ccw and by being specific about firearsms that are vauge they missed more than it covers I am afraid.

I dont think it will fly as written. Vermont is very pro ccw and with the grandfathering clause in there I am vastly unaffected.

Sparks, you and everyone else we know need to write to the state legslature at least once a day and let them know that this is a no go for vermonters.

Regards, Vermonter
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Old January 17, 2013, 02:14 PM   #7
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Vermont currently has the most lenient gun laws, but I don't think it's because Vermonters have given the issue careful thought and made a conscious decision to go that way - I get the sense it's more like imposing new gun restrictions just isn't a priority at the moment. That could change overnight and has to some extent as Sparks1957 pointed out. Given the politics of the state generally, the future could be problematical for anyone except hunters.

Maine is a nice state, and would make a reasonable second choice, but again I think their primary interest is in having guns to hunt with and I could see gun owners there (for example) going along with an AWB as long as nobody has plans to outlaw their old thutty-thutty.

And yes, that's an oversimplification - but as a gun owner in New England for the last 45 years I don't think it's far off the mark.

So, I voted for my adopted state, New Hampshire, and its limited and IMHO reasonable gun laws. In spite of a bit of a swing to the blue side of the aisle in the last election, I don't see things changing here anytime soon.
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Old January 17, 2013, 03:20 PM   #8
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They will all go the way of MA/NY. Not tomorrow, not next week, not even this election cycle, but it is coming eventually. Maybe 10-20 years down the road.
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Old January 17, 2013, 03:22 PM   #9
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ATW

I was not thinking that far ahead. Perhaps I should be.
Regards, Vermonter
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Old January 17, 2013, 05:13 PM   #10
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I voted NH.
I was born in MA, and raised in VT.
Worked in NH and NY and have met many many people from all around New England and the north east.

I left about 20 years ago in search of work, and what I found was not only work, but better politics and better economy. As much as I miss snowmobiling, skiing, the foliage and sugaring...I am filing out an application today (Intercompany transfer) that will hopefully allow me to finish raising my family and retire in Tennessee.

If I HAD to move back, my choice would be NH.
I can carry concealed in VT with a TN carry permit (not required) but I cannot carry concealed in TN with a VT permit because there isn't one.
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Old January 17, 2013, 06:26 PM   #11
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All three are nice... I'd rank them VT, ME, NH for overall livability. I lived in Mass. for about 30 years, by necessity, not by choice -- my father lived in Vermont. Back then (10-20 years ago, or more) guns were sort of taken for granted -- the only time anyone fretted was when the flatlanders (from NY, CT, MA) came up for deer hunting season, and all the farmers went out and painted "COW" in big letters on the sides of their cows.

All three will probably be ruined as more and more baby-boomer flatlanders retire there.
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Old January 17, 2013, 06:50 PM   #12
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Quote:
Sparks, you and everyone else we know need to write to the state legislature at least once a day and let them know that this is a no go for vermonters
Already have, and will do so periodically. I also know a couple influential lobbyists in Montpelier who will work on them too.
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Old January 17, 2013, 07:32 PM   #13
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Maine has "Every citizen has a right to keep and bear arms and this right shall never be questioned" written into it's constitution, no registration, no restrictions on private sales (as long as both parties are ME residents, and you don't have reason to believe the buyer is intending to use the gun to commit a crime) open carry, and it's pretty easy to get your CCW. Also, it's still primarily rural, there are no major cities, and hunting is a huge money maker for the state, so the majority of the population is pretty gun friendly.
But I agree that most of the gun owners would only put up a fight when something effects them directly, so I'm not sure how an assault weapon ban would play out. I don't think it would pass, but I've been wrong before.

I chose Vermont anyway. Vermont is a rabidly independent state, and most of the Vermonters I've met have been quite apposed to their government restricting their freedom. In Vermont I would expect to see a fairly large percentage of non gun owners vote against gun restrictions as unwanted government intrusion even if they had no plans to own a gun.

New Hampshire I didn't pick just because eastern NH is slowly turning into a suburb of Boston, and I imagine a fair number of transplants are bringing their anti-gun ideas with them.
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Old January 17, 2013, 07:45 PM   #14
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Yeah we have it pretty good in Maine, and I do not see it changing for a while with a republican Governor. The democrat majority may try and kick something up, but it seems they are more intent on budget issues.

I have been trying to keep an eye on it, and have written my local reps, so far no word back.
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Old January 18, 2013, 12:22 AM   #15
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it is coming eventually. Maybe 10-20 years down the road.
Meh. Folks were saying that 20 years ago. Since then, we've won twice in the Supreme Court, acceptance for concealed carry has become the norm in most of the nation, and the public is more mobilized in favor of the 2A than they've ever been.

Every generation thinks it's living in the end times.
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Old January 18, 2013, 01:09 AM   #16
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Tom
So what's your point? That New Englanders should relax their sphincters about the uncertain future? I prefer to follow the old boy scout motto; Be Prepared.

What about the old saying: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Also: The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.



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Old January 19, 2013, 08:48 AM   #17
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I voted NH. Vermont seems to out there at times and I'm not sure if it will spill over into 2A rights. Maine is a close 2nd to NH. MA is already gone. The laws they have in place now are restrictive and confusing and the bill proposed this week is crazy.
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Old January 19, 2013, 10:46 PM   #18
win-lose
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FSP is exerting a growing influence in NH. I expect they will have the most liberal laws in the country before too long.
John, thank you for your feedback. Could I trouble you to elaborate?
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Old January 20, 2013, 09:23 AM   #19
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I assume John is referring to the Free State Project and he's using the term "liberal" in its true sense, i.e., "free" or "generous", as opposed to in the political sense.

Assuming that to be the case, I'd like to agree, but I'm afraid I don't see it. I don't detect any impact of FSP and frankly never hear anything about them in the press or elsewhere. I wish it were otherwise, but I try to pay attention to these things and, from my perspective, they're invisible.

As I alluded to in my earlier post, the state was overall quite "blue" in the last election, electing a Democrat Governor (the last one was also) and two Democrat US representatives, along with voting to re-elect Obama. In my own very rural central portion of the state, the incumbent State Rep, a rabid anti-gunner, was easily re-elected. None of that, of course, was abetted by either of the two votes in my household. The state legislature recently turned back an attempt to not require a CCL for concealed carry (as in Vermont and a couple other states) and reversed their position on allowing elected officials to carry in the State House.

On the other hand, the NH Association of Chiefs of Police is currently taking a bit of heat from the Boston Globe (not that they care) for holding a fund-raising raffle that has 30 NH-manufactured firearms, including at least one Evil Black Rifle, as prizes. Gotta love that.

I think that NH will, on balance, continue to be very gun-friendly for the foreseeable future and certainly for the rest of my life (I'm 64) but, as with many other aspects of life in the US, I'm not optimistic about the long-term.
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Old January 20, 2013, 12:26 PM   #20
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Old January 20, 2013, 01:07 PM   #21
win-lose
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Thanks FlyFish. I was able to pull some info from their website... there wasn't very much of substance though....

I really fear that these states could turn on a dime.
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Old January 20, 2013, 01:31 PM   #22
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Based on population shift over the past few decades, Vermont has drawn a lot more artisan and NY vacation home types; Maine has had a huge influx from MA, CT, and NY from Kittery to Freeport.

I foresee negative shifts in attitudes toward guns in both VT and ME if that trend continues.

NH is rocky, heavily forested, and has some of the worst wind chill factors in the northeast. It tends to attract true outdoors types, as opposed to rich city people who want a country place. I expect NH politics to remain pro-gun for the foreseeable future, although VT is currently great for guns, too.

I was raised in Maine, and I do not like the way the state's character has shifted since the 70's.
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Old January 21, 2013, 03:00 PM   #23
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NH is rocky, heavily forested, and has some of the worst wind chill factors in the northeast. It tends to attract true outdoors types, as opposed to rich city people who want a country place. I expect NH politics to remain pro-gun for the foreseeable future, although VT is currently great for guns, too.
There's not really a big push for gun control in NH, but public opinion on many other issues seems to be gaining momentum towards the left. The problem is that many of the pro-gun politicians tend to be on the wrong side of those other issues, which jeopardizes their long term career prospects in this state. If NH ever has it's own equivalent of Newtown, I wonder if there will be enough pro-gun politicians left to contain the fallout.
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Old January 21, 2013, 04:52 PM   #24
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For Sparks and Vermonter:

http://blogs.burlingtonfreepress.com...od|homepromo|1

His 'explanation' is that it would 'overshadow' other bills that have a 'better chance' of passing...

The truth is that he had no support whatsoever, and found that out quickly...
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Old January 22, 2013, 08:46 AM   #25
win-lose
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For Sparks and Vermonter:

http://blogs.burlingtonfreepress.com...od|homepromo|1

His 'explanation' is that it would 'overshadow' other bills that have a 'better chance' of passing...

The truth is that he had no support whatsoever, and found that out quickly...
Salmoneye, thanks for the link. It's great to see that there was no support for his legislation... on the other hand, it's more than a bit concerning that this gent is to be the majority leader in the state....
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