"Why don't you just leave?"

[seamusTX]

I just heard an interesting discussion of the question "Why don't you just leave?" concerning states like Massachusetts. The speaker was Jim Wallace, president of a Massachusetts RKBA organization.

If I can fairly summarize his answer, if they give up the fight, the trends in states like Massachusetts, New York, and California may spread nationwide. This is not an idle supposition. We can see it with Bloomberg's efforts to push New York laws and attitudes in other states.

Most of the progressive issues such as civil service, child labor laws, minimum wage, laws against animal cruelty, and even gay rights started in these states.

My purpose is not to debate any of these other issues, but it is a fact that trends spread in this way.

http://guntalk.libsyn.com/guntalk-2011-02-27-part-a" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, speaking as someone who was born and grew up in Chicago and then left, the separation is not done lightly. I left my family and friends for a place where I knew no one, not one single person, and literally was risking all that I owned.

P.S.: It worked out well.

- Jim

[surprise_i'm_armed]

http://www.goal.org/

The above link is to the Massachusetts pro-gun advocacy organization, GOAL.
GOAL = Gun Owners Action League. They are 2A friends who must fight quite
an uphill battle for gun rights since they are in Massachusetts.

Using this site for research, I have read the many restrictive Mass. laws regarding
gun issues. They will make your head spin. We have it so good in Texas.

http://www.goal.org/Documents/approved_ ... roster.pdf

The above link is the "Massachusetts Approved Firearms Roster" as of 12/2010.
If a gun is not on this list, you can't own it in Mass.

Although I didn't vet the whole list, what jumped out at me from this list is that
not one Springer or Taurus is allowed to be owned.

Think about that and take a breath of fresh Texas air.

SIA

[seamusTX]

It's just insane. There is no other word for it. Then they have teenage multiple-convicted armed felons walking the streets. When they catch one of them, the authorities basically say, "Stop or I'll say Stop again."

- Jim

[RoyGBiv]

Although I didn't vet the whole list, what jumped out at me from this list is that
not one Springer or Taurus is allowed to be owned.
SIA

And my HK is ok in .357 sig, but not in .40.

This would be funny if it wasn't so serious.

[The Annoyed Man]

Jim, when we moved our family here in 2006 from California, we had it only slightly better. For one thing, I moved with my job, so money was not so much of an issue. (The company owner hung himself 18 months later, leaving me without that job, but that's another story...) Another advantage we had was that we knew the 3 other people and their families who moved with the company. But we all left our extended families behind. And for 3 of the 4 employees who moved with the company, we sold homes in California at a handsome profit and were able to establish ourselves here.

But despite those advantages, and despite our strong desire to move here, it was still a very difficult process. I spent the first two months living in a hotel room alone down in Dallas. Then I rented an apartment for my family and me in Grapevine, pending finding a home to buy. I lived in the apartment alone for a month until the school year was over for our son and I could move my wife and son out here. We lived in that apartment for about another month until we bought our house.

But during this time, we knew nobody else, and we had not yet developed a network of friends. Once we found a good church, all of that changed. But it was a tough few months. My wife's parents both died here not too long after we moved here. My remaining family are all still back in California, and I miss them a lot.

I don't know if the risks were as severe as yours were, but they were plentiful and between April 2006 and April 2009, we:

1. Moved me to Texas on 04/16/06.

2. Moved my wife and son to Texas on 06/24/06.

3. Bought a home on 07/27/06.

4. Moved my in-laws to Texas in 02/07.

5. Lost my father in law to lung cancer on 09/26/07.

6. Lost my employer to suicide on 09/29/07.

7. Lost my job on 11/15/07

8. Supported my mother in law through mastectomies and radiation treatment for breast cancer, starting after Thanksgiving of '07.

9. Started a new business on 05/01/08.

10. Lost my mother in law to metastasized breast cancer on 04/09/09.

And in between those events, we had 3 pets put to sleep.

Life is hard. Life goes on. God is good.

[seamusTX]

Chris, I didn't mean to distract the discussion with my personal narrative.

My wife got a job offer in Texas that looked like a plum. But we had to move as I said to a place with a chronically high unemployment rate unless you're a busboy or dishwasher (that is, Galveston).

Her job turned out to be a prune, but I got an excellent job with a local company. It was the best move we ever made.

The point that I wanted to make, and you reinforced, is that it is not easy for most people to move that way. If you're 20 years old, single, and have employable skills, great, go for it. Stretching family ties to the breaking point, yanking kids out of school, leaving a church and other organizations are not so much fun.

- Jim

[Oldgringo]

Funny that y'all would bring this up.

Mrs. Oldgringo and I just came in from shooting at a private range <4 miles from the house. As we turned into the driveway, she commented that we've lived here longer (17 years) than we've lived anywhere. I said, "uh huh", just as she said this (Rusk, Texas) is the best place we've ever lived. Warts and all, I agree.

[seamusTX]

I often say they will carry me out of here feet first. I wrote our last mortgage check a few days ago, so now that is a signed and sealed deal.

Do I like everything unconditionally? Don't be ridiculous. But we enjoy what we have and try to change things we don't like.

Which is pretty much what people in states like Massachusetts and New Jersey are doing.

- Jim

[VMI77]

I just heard an interesting discussion of the question "Why don't you just leave?" concerning states like Massachusetts. The speaker was Jim Wallace, president of a Massachusetts RKBA organization.

If I can fairly summarize his answer, if they give up the fight, the trends in states like Massachusetts, New York, and California may spread nationwide. This is not an idle supposition. We can see it with Bloomberg's efforts to push New York laws and attitudes in other states.

Most of the progressive issues such as civil service, child labor laws, minimum wage, laws against animal cruelty, and even gay rights started in these states.

My purpose is not to debate any of these other issues, but it is a fact that trends spread in this way.

http://guntalk.libsyn.com/guntalk-2011-02-27-part-a" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, speaking as someone who was born and grew up in Chicago and then left, the separation is not done lightly. I left my family and friends for a place where I knew no one, not one single person, and literally was risking all that I owned.

P.S.: It worked out well.


- Jim

At lunch today a co-worker from Austin expressed his concern that the influx of people from California with very liberal politics might poison the state (and he's not a gun guy, so he wasn't talking about RKBA).

[The Annoyed Man]

At lunch today a co-worker from Austin expressed his concern that the influx of people from California with very liberal politics might poison the state (and he's not a gun guy, so he wasn't talking about RKBA).

There is also an influx from California of people like me who were heartily tired of anything to do with whacked out California leftist policies and are grateful to have arrived where at least a modicum of common sense prevails.

[seamusTX]

For a while, anyway, one of two things will happen:

• They all move to the same area, which means they get to elect one or two representatives (probably not a senator, since senate districts are larger).
• They move to various places, so their possible influence is diluted, and many of them adopt more typically Texan attitudes.

However, in the long run, more people are moving to the Southwest from the Northeast and Midwest. About 100,000 people per year have moved into the Houston area since WW II. We need to watch this.

These are fundamentally decent people, but they have some knee-jerk attitudes that they need to be educated about.

- Jim

[VMI77]

At lunch today a co-worker from Austin expressed his concern that the influx of people from California with very liberal politics might poison the state (and he's not a gun guy, so he wasn't talking about RKBA).

There is also an influx from California of people like me who were heartily tired of anything to do with whacked out California leftist policies and are grateful to have arrived where at least a modicum of common sense prevails.

My hope is that those like you outnumber the rest. However, my coworker is much more sociable than I am, lived in the Austin area, and knew a lot of transplants, and they were unfortunately not like you. And BTW, I'm also from California. More than 40 years ago my father found the political trends (and crime) in California distressing, and moved the family to Texas.

[Oldgringo]

For a while, anyway, one of two things will happen:

• They all move to the same area, which means they get to elect one or two representatives (probably not a senator, since senate districts are larger).
• They move to various places, so their possible influence is diluted, and many of them adopt more typically Texan attitudes.

However, in the long run, more people are moving to the Southwest from the Northeast and Midwest. About 100,000 people per year have moved into the Houston area since WW II. We need to watch this.

These are fundamentally decent people, but they have some knee-jerk attitudes that they need to be educated about.

- Jim

Speaking of which, do y'all remember those bumper stickers, "I {heart} NY"?

One of my favorite stickers of yesteryear, sighted while doing a job in south Florida, was, "If you {heart} NY, please use 95 North".

[seamusTX]

I think those I [heart] New York and similar things are just tourist souvenirs.

However, it is obnoxious when someone leaves a place (usually to make a better living) and then tries to make their destination have the same problems as the place that they left. I have known people like that.

- Jim

[RoyGBiv]

I think those I [heart] New York and similar things are just tourist souvenirs.

However, it is obnoxious when someone leaves a place (usually to make a better living) and then tries to make their destination have the same problems as the place that they left. I have known people like that.

- Jim

Nail, meet head....