What a difference geographic location makes

[Excoastie]

I just returned from what turned into a slightly longer trip from home here in Louisiana to Connecticut. I spent most of 5 days up there. I went for a visit, as my sister got married.

I was talking to my cousin who lives up there and has his concealed carry permit. He was telling me some of the seemingly stupid laws governing not only firearms, but ammo as well.

for anyone who lives in the Construction State, please feel free to correct my misunderstanding.

He was saying that in order to even purchase ammo for the .12 gauge shot gun you've had forever, you need an "ammo license".

there is also the "hunting license" that is needed not only to go out and kill bambi, but to purchase either long guns or ammo for the long guns.

In order to purchase either a pistol or ammo for a pistol, you need to have some sort of hand gun license, though he said that it's usually a concealed carry permit.

I was told that these were laws that were enacted after a rampage shooting in Newington, CT a few years ago.

I was floored, as Louisiana is an open carry state, and pretty much anyone who isn't a felon, wife beater, druggie, or diagnosed with a mental condition can buy and carry pretty much what ever is legal without any sort of license or proof of firearm training.

Is the difference between the south and New England that great when it comes to gun laws?

Exco

[ligonierbill]

Yep, and not only firearms laws. In 1977, I moved from Connecticut to SE Idaho, and I tell folks I went from being slightly to the right of Attila the Hun to a pinko liberal just by taking a two day drive.

[g.willikers]

Awhile back there was a classic car show from Connecticut.
A well packaged and concealed issue 1911 was discovered in the boot of the car.
The folks in the show acted like it was the proverbial hot potato.
There's still a lot of old England in New England, it seems.

[Salmoneye]

Please remember when disparaging 'New England', that Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine have some of the 'best' gun laws (or lack thereof) in the country...

[Excoastie]

Please remember when disparaging 'New England', that Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine have some of the 'best' gun laws (or lack thereof) in the country...

OK, perhaps I should have specified Southern New England.

I have lived in both NH and VT, so I do understand what you're saying.

Perhaps it's just a CT/ MA thing...

Exco

[Onward Allusion]

The US is kinda like the EU where individual US States equal EU Countries. Think about that...

[Chris_B]

I think your friend meant that the town the mass murder took place in was Newtown CT, at the Sandy Hook school. It was not too long ago, and was national news. The killer murdered the firearms owner (his mother) and then proceeded to the school. The shooter had (obviously) mental issues.

How the laws that were enacted combats that type of situation remains unclear to me.

In southern NE, it can be odd. I got my Class A permit to carry firearms in Boston, 2008. However no concealed carry was permitted, per the city, it wasn't just me. If I had a job that required it, ok, or if I had two documented death threats. I had to qualify under BPD supervision at their dedicated and sort of remote outdoor range. Everyone there was aces. Great experience.

I moved eight minutes away from Boston (I can walk ten minutes and see the city), talked to the local PD LT for a half hour, and the restriction was removed.

The point is that state laws are state laws, but a city or town also has its own dynamic in the Commonwealth.

[oldbadger]

I am not a lawyer. But I have done a bit of thinking about laws and specifically gun laws. I started with the premise that in the face of all the different laws in the country we still have "crime"...therefore laws do not "prevent" crime as such. Admittedly most people will avoid certain behaviors either because they know that it is "illegal" or that the behavior is unwise. Many "laws" are simply uniformly recognized rules of behavior for general safety. On the other hand there are people who do bad things in spite of the law...therefore....laws as such do not "prevent"crime. This aspect of the "law" and the great desire of some people that we have more gun laws seems to be a useless endeavor. This desire seems to me to be more about controlling others rather than a true wish to prevent crime. So the desire to control others differs by geographic location but the end result is the same in that there is still crime. I am not offering a solution to "crime" but simply pointing out that the laws make little difference in the greater scheme of life. Laws simply codify behavior so that punishment may be meted out.

[Aguila Blanca]

for anyone who lives in the Construction State, please feel free to correct my misunderstanding.

He was saying that in order to even purchase ammo for the .12 gauge shot gun you've had forever, you need an "ammo license".

there is also the "hunting license" that is needed not only to go out and kill bambi, but to purchase either long guns or ammo for the long guns.

In order to purchase either a pistol or ammo for a pistol, you need to have some sort of hand gun license, though he said that it's usually a concealed carry permit.

I was told that these were laws that were enacted after a rampage shooting in Newington, CT a few years ago.

It wasn't Newington, it was the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which was in Newtown, CT. (Sandy Hook is a subset of Newtown.)

It is true that to buy ammo in CT since, IIRC, April of 2014 you need some kind of permit. There is something called a certificate of eligibility to purchase ammunition. It allows you to buy ammo, nothing more. It allows the purchase of handgun, rifle, and shotgun ammunition.

Then there's a certificate of eligibility to buy a long gun. That allows you to buy a rifle, a shotgun, or ammunition (of any kind). They also have a certificate of eligibility to purchase a handgun. This allows you to buy a handgun, a long gun, or ammunition -- but not to carry a handgun, or even to transport it to a shooting range.

And then there's the handgun carry permit, which is the top of the heap. With a carry permit, you can buy any type of firearm, you can buy ammunition, and you can carry a handgun open or concealed.

Connecticut has offered carry permits for years -- my family is from Connecticut and I've had CT (along with several other states) since around 2000. The ammo certificate and long gun certificate requirements are recent, as a direct result of the Sandy Hook school massacre. I'm actually amazed that you don't seem to have been aware of it -- it was in the national news for weeks. It was the case where a teenager (I think -- maybe he was 20) murdered his mother, stole an AR-15 and a couple of other guns, drove to the school, shot his way through the locked (glass) entry doors, and killed something like 23 administrators, teachers, and students before finally killing himself. The same shooting led to the New York SAFE Act, which was passed around the same time as Connecticut's new laws, and is very similar in many respects.

I don't recall if a hunting license allows the purchase of long guns or ammo. It might. I remember reading the proposed law changes when they were passed. It ran 169 pages, and that was only the proposed changes to underlying gun laws that were already in place.

[Wyosmith]

Thinking like slaves turns people into slaves quickly. This is the mark of cowardice permeating a society. Cowards only want comfort, but never responsibility.

(Oh pleeze masser, may I pleeze have a privilege and call it a right? pleeeeease!!!???!!!)

Once people have become slaves they can think like free men all they like but only dangerous actions will restore liberty once it's given up.

History proves this hundreds of times over.

[FITASC]

Construction State

CT is the Constitution State, not Construction - somewhat ironic that the areas where things got started are now more strict than when they were ruled by the King.

[Excoastie]

It wasn't Newington, it was the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which was in Newtown, CT. (Sandy Hook is a subset of Newtown.)

It is true that to buy ammo in CT since, IIRC, April of 2014 you need some kind of permit. There is something called a certificate of eligibility to purchase ammunition. It allows you to buy ammo, nothing more. It allows the purchase of handgun, rifle, and shotgun ammunition.

Then there's a certificate of eligibility to buy a long gun. That allows you to buy a rifle, a shotgun, or ammunition (of any kind). They also have a certificate of eligibility to purchase a handgun. This allows you to buy a handgun, a long gun, or ammunition -- but not to carry a handgun, or even to transport it to a shooting range.

And then there's the handgun carry permit, which is the top of the heap. With a carry permit, you can buy any type of firearm, you can buy ammunition, and you can carry a handgun open or concealed.

Connecticut has offered carry permits for years -- my family is from Connecticut and I've had CT (along with several other states) since around 2000. The ammo certificate and long gun certificate requirements are recent, as a direct result of the Sandy Hook school massacre. I'm actually amazed that you don't seem to have been aware of it -- it was in the national news for weeks. It was the case where a teenager (I think -- maybe he was 20) murdered his mother, stole an AR-15 and a couple of other guns, drove to the school, shot his way through the locked (glass) entry doors, and killed something like 23 administrators, teachers, and students before finally killing himself. The same shooting led the the New York SAFE Act, which was passed around the same time as Connecticut's new laws, and is very similar in many respects.

I don't recall if a hunting license allows the purchase of long guns or ammo. It might. I remember reading the proposed law changes when they were passed. It ran 169 pages, and that was only the proposed changes to underlying gun laws that were already in place.

Thanks for the clarification. I had heard about the Sandy Hook massacre, but just didn't put 2 and 2 together to come up with the Newtown. I also tend not to stay as informed as I should be with the "current events", as I get tired of reading or watching about doom and gloom all the time.

CT is the Constitution State, not Construction - somewhat ironic that the areas where things got started are now more strict than when they were ruled by the King.

The calling of CT the Construction State was intentional, as they always seem to have highways and byways under construction in one manner or the other. Look how long it took 'em to complete 384/ 84 around East Hartford/ Manchester. I see they're still working on parts of 84 in Manchester.
Granted, this could be my perception of only returning every 5 years or so, but even when I lived up that way, lots and lots of construction on going.

Exco

[Chris_B]

I instantly knew re: 'Construction State'.

Two of my five hours' drive to New Jersey was in CT.

[BillM]

Always kind of saddens me that the cradle of arms manufacturing in America
is now arguably the most anti-gun anti-freedom area of the country.

[JimPage]

Construction state may be apt. But from the restrictions on 2A I would re-label it the "Constriction state."