The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Decision point. Which state to live in? CO, UT, WA, NH

leadcounsel · November 18, 2012, 12:49 PM

Need some help from fellow TFL'ers.

I've got about 12-18 months before I decide to move states, again. I have no significant strings (at the moment) so my choices are vast. This is about gun laws and gun sports and outdoorsmanship, so please keep this gun related. But like any life choices, those are not the ONLY factors. So please chime in about any other relevant things to consider, such as crime (which goes to S&T), taxes (which goes to disposbile income for gun sports), political trends (which goes to availability of things like large capacity magazines, suppressors, etc.), etc.
My plan is to set up my own criminal defense firm, ideally near an Army base because I have significant Army criminal law experience.

Colorado: My law license is from Colorado, so that would be the easiest. I can get reciprocity with varying ease/difficulty from other states. My most significant friends and contacts live in metro Denver, and I loved living in Colorado for the outdoors sports - particularly snowboarding. I left in 2006 and believe the 'gunshow loophole' has closed. How does that effect FTF transactions, which used to be very simple. Also, parts of Colorado, I think Denver and possibly Aurora, have bans in high-cap magazines and possibly other things that survived the AWB. Please advise. Denver also has "pitt bull" laws, which I disagree with. My dog is not a Pitt, but frequently gets confused as a Pitt, and that causes problems. Getting a concealed carry permit in Colorado required a class, background check, a fee and a 3 month wait. Weather/geography is dry and landlocked. Excellent mountains for recreation. Lastly, a consideration about critters - rattle snakes and poisonous spiders are a minus (a consideration for pets and future kids). Colorado has Army/Airforce bases in Colorado Springs and Airforce in Aurora.

Washington State: I have a nice house in Washington state where I currently live. However, I will likely not want to remain in this house/location for business reasons. I need to move closer to Tacoma. So I will likely be moving, even if just locally. I have some contacts now in Washington state in the legal profession. WA does allow suppressors, which is a good sign. While I don't have any, it's a good trend. There are no hi-cap restrictions here. WA is a mix between environmentally friendly folks (which I agree with) and pro-gun folks. The only gun law here that I don't like is the 5 day wait on handguns, which is waived if you have a carry permit. Getting the carry permit is cheap and easy. Background check and a fee and it's available quickly by mail. Recreation here is also plentiful - it's a much more water-friendly part of the world. So more boating/kayaking and more rain. Don't think there's really many bad critters here such as rattlers or serious spiders (a consideration for pets and future kids). WA has a large Army base near where I currently live, Ft. Lewis.

Utah: I've visited UT twice and it's breathtaking. Many national parks and the mountains are hard to beat for recreation. People seemed friendly enough. Gun laws are reportedly one of the best states in the nation. Other than that I don't know much about UT.

New Hampshire: My only consideration for moving there would be to pursue a woman in Boston. She is stuck in that region permanently. Obviously Boston and MA is about as anti-gun as anywhere. I would be spending a lot of time in Boston with her, which I cringe at the thought of. Anyone here that is Pro-gun and forced to live in an anti-gun region, and how does it effect you? Frankly, I'm just not willing to give up my gun rights for anyone. I could maybe tolerate brief periods of being disarmed, but long term - no way. I look at visiting there as an international trip to Europe, where you just have to accept 'no guns' and have fun. But I could not live there. NH would be the ultimate compromise. How are the gun laws, recreation, taxation in NH, Vermont, Maine, etc.?

November 18, 2012, 12:49 PM	#1
leadcounsel Junior member Join Date: September 8, 2005 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 2,119	Decision point. Which state to live in? CO, UT, WA, NH Need some help from fellow TFL'ers. I've got about 12-18 months before I decide to move states, again. I have no significant strings (at the moment) so my choices are vast. This is about gun laws and gun sports and outdoorsmanship, so please keep this gun related. But like any life choices, those are not the ONLY factors. So please chime in about any other relevant things to consider, such as crime (which goes to S&T), taxes (which goes to disposbile income for gun sports), political trends (which goes to availability of things like large capacity magazines, suppressors, etc.), etc. My plan is to set up my own criminal defense firm, ideally near an Army base because I have significant Army criminal law experience. Colorado: My law license is from Colorado, so that would be the easiest. I can get reciprocity with varying ease/difficulty from other states. My most significant friends and contacts live in metro Denver, and I loved living in Colorado for the outdoors sports - particularly snowboarding. I left in 2006 and believe the 'gunshow loophole' has closed. How does that effect FTF transactions, which used to be very simple. Also, parts of Colorado, I think Denver and possibly Aurora, have bans in high-cap magazines and possibly other things that survived the AWB. Please advise. Denver also has "pitt bull" laws, which I disagree with. My dog is not a Pitt, but frequently gets confused as a Pitt, and that causes problems. Getting a concealed carry permit in Colorado required a class, background check, a fee and a 3 month wait. Weather/geography is dry and landlocked. Excellent mountains for recreation. Lastly, a consideration about critters - rattle snakes and poisonous spiders are a minus (a consideration for pets and future kids). Colorado has Army/Airforce bases in Colorado Springs and Airforce in Aurora. Washington State: I have a nice house in Washington state where I currently live. However, I will likely not want to remain in this house/location for business reasons. I need to move closer to Tacoma. So I will likely be moving, even if just locally. I have some contacts now in Washington state in the legal profession. WA does allow suppressors, which is a good sign. While I don't have any, it's a good trend. There are no hi-cap restrictions here. WA is a mix between environmentally friendly folks (which I agree with) and pro-gun folks. The only gun law here that I don't like is the 5 day wait on handguns, which is waived if you have a carry permit. Getting the carry permit is cheap and easy. Background check and a fee and it's available quickly by mail. Recreation here is also plentiful - it's a much more water-friendly part of the world. So more boating/kayaking and more rain. Don't think there's really many bad critters here such as rattlers or serious spiders (a consideration for pets and future kids). WA has a large Army base near where I currently live, Ft. Lewis. Utah: I've visited UT twice and it's breathtaking. Many national parks and the mountains are hard to beat for recreation. People seemed friendly enough. Gun laws are reportedly one of the best states in the nation. Other than that I don't know much about UT. New Hampshire: My only consideration for moving there would be to pursue a woman in Boston. She is stuck in that region permanently. Obviously Boston and MA is about as anti-gun as anywhere. I would be spending a lot of time in Boston with her, which I cringe at the thought of. Anyone here that is Pro-gun and forced to live in an anti-gun region, and how does it effect you? Frankly, I'm just not willing to give up my gun rights for anyone. I could maybe tolerate brief periods of being disarmed, but long term - no way. I look at visiting there as an international trip to Europe, where you just have to accept 'no guns' and have fun. But I could not live there. NH would be the ultimate compromise. How are the gun laws, recreation, taxation in NH, Vermont, Maine, etc.?