[madmiah]

I am moving to Cali soon (not gonna say when they might be watching) and I really wanna know is it really that bad? Before you get started with why would you want to do that and dont do it blah blah blah the mind is made I will be moving there and that is all there is to it.

[usmcprofessional]

uhh well. some say yes some say no. no for obvious reasons, its frickin cali. but many people here weigh the political side, the personal freedoms side, and of course the firearm owning side.

the political side, that state is more warped and retarded beyond conventional thinking. as for firearms. unless your a lawyer, you wont get the laws. ive tried many a time to have people on here, from cali, explain to me what is truely illegal in that state, and they cant even tell me. hell, most of them own better crap than i do. but hey, cali come to find out isnt so bad. hell theres way worse than that. id tell you about Illinois law, but they all seem to be written in a weird mix of chinese and old russian.

[TekGreg]

Madmiah, I feel uniquely qualified to answer this question. I grew up in California for almost 40 years. I was married there, raised a family, and have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, The San Joaquin Valley, Sonora and the foothills, and Beverly Hills. I even have extensive knowledge of the Inland Empire and parts of Nevada. I was a business owner and even held and used an FFL in my own business. California, firearms and I go way back.

What USMCprofessional says rings of some truth. There are people in CA that have great weapons! They will never be found on the approved list and they are owned completely legally. How? They were grandfathered in. As long as you registered your weapons within the "Grace Period" offered by the state, you could keep anything you owned when the law came into effect. But, if it is ever sold, it MUST be sold to an out-of-state dealer if it is not on the list.

CA has the least judgmental people in the states. With few exceptions, you can move almost anywhere in the state and do whatever you like and will not be judged for it by your friends and neighbors. That is what makes CA's politics so strange, but it can pretty much be summed up in two words: Diane Feinstein. The Senator from San Francisco has had her own personal hair against guns and gun rights and beating the people of CA with it for decades.

The problem with this is much bigger than you would think initially. There is an axiom in politics that many don't realize: "As New York and California go, so goes America." This means that generally if either one of those states passes a law, then the other one approves it, it will generally sweep across the U.S. As a 2nd Amendment supporter, I spent thousands of hours and dollars with friends and family fighting everything she proposed. The problem is that the entire state has slowly become more and more apathetic over the years and that has made it easy for the liberals and democrats to take over with rhetoric.

So the more you care about healthcare, politics, constitutional rights, balanced budgets, etc., the less support you will find amongst the populace of CA. And as far as your gun and carry rights, a carry permit is as rare as hens teeth. Most sheriffs make up reasons not to issue them. Search for the lawsuit against Merced County's current Sheriff. I hear the sheriff of Stanislaus County is now issuing them, which didn't use to be the case - I hope it is true. The firearms approved list makes no sense at all - sometimes a blued version of a model is on the list and a stainless steel version of the exact same model isn't on the list! Magazine size is limited to 10 rounds. Many suppliers have chosen not to ship to CA at all - see GunBroker.com and GunsAmerica.com for confirmation.

As of six years ago, my wife and I had a break in both of our careers and the chance to move, so we did. I got a carry permit the first day I was allowed to and enjoy feeling like I actually live in America again. The only thing I miss about CA is the non-judgmental people - I just wish it didn't accompany their total apathy.

My apologies to any Californians who do not fit this generalization. This is my own personal experience over 40 years and I was unfortunate enough not to meet you while I was there, much to my chagrin.

[PanBaccha]

Originally Posted by TekGreg

Madmiah, I feel uniquely qualified to answer this question. I grew up in California for almost 40 years. I was married there, raised a family, and have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, The San Joaquin Valley, Sonora and the foothills, and Beverly Hills. I even have extensive knowledge of the Inland Empire and parts of Nevada. I was a business owner and even held and used an FFL in my own business. California, firearms and I go way back.

What USMCprofessional says rings of some truth. There are people in CA that have great weapons! They will never be found on the approved list and they are owned completely legally. How? They were grandfathered in. As long as you registered your weapons within the "Grace Period" offered by the state, you could keep anything you owned when the law came into effect. But, if it is ever sold, it MUST be sold to an out-of-state dealer if it is not on the list.

CA has the least judgmental people in the states. With few exceptions, you can move almost anywhere in the state and do whatever you like and will not be judged for it by your friends and neighbors. That is what makes CA's politics so strange, but it can pretty much be summed up in two words: Diane Feinstein. The Senator from San Francisco has had her own personal hair against guns and gun rights and beating the people of CA with it for decades.

The problem with this is much bigger than you would think initially. There is an axiom in politics that many don't realize: "As New York and California go, so goes America." This means that generally if either one of those states passes a law, then the other one approves it, it will generally sweep across the U.S. As a 2nd Amendment supporter, I spent thousands of hours and dollars with friends and family fighting everything she proposed. The problem is that the entire state has slowly become more and more apathetic over the years and that has made it easy for the liberals and democrats to take over with rhetoric.

So the more you care about healthcare, politics, constitutional rights, balanced budgets, etc., the less support you will find amongst the populace of CA. And as far as your gun and carry rights, a carry permit is as rare as hens teeth. Most sheriffs make up reasons not to issue them. Search for the lawsuit against Merced County's current Sheriff. I hear the sheriff of Stanislaus County is now issuing them, which didn't use to be the case - I hope it is true. The firearms approved list makes no sense at all - sometimes a blued version of a model is on the list and a stainless steel version of the exact same model isn't on the list! Magazine size is limited to 10 rounds. Many suppliers have chosen not to ship to CA at all - see GunBroker.com and GunsAmerica.com for confirmation.

As of six years ago, my wife and I had a break in both of our careers and the chance to move, so we did. I got a carry permit the first day I was allowed to and enjoy feeling like I actually live in America again. The only thing I miss about CA is the non-judgmental people - I just wish it didn't accompany their total apathy.

My apologies to any Californians who do not fit this generalization. This is my own personal experience over 40 years and I was unfortunate enough not to meet you while I was there, much to my chagrin.

What a pleasure it was for me to read
a concise and informative essay on
regional attitudes and politics, with
proper punctuation and spacing.
Thank you, sir.

[opaww]

Very well said TekGreg a thumbs up

[JonM]

My wife lived there until 10 years ago. Her opinion is they people are fantastic unless you like guns god and bbq... she tells me all the time that the things she doesnt miss most is their intolerance of conservatives and any opinion that doesnt agree with their preformed ideas of freedom.

My take is if your personal morals arent some sort of perversion its illegal.

There is no ammount of money that could make me live there but hey each their own good luck to ya

[TekGreg]

Originally Posted by JonM

My wife lived there until 10 years ago. Her opinion is they people are fantastic unless you like guns god and bbq... she tells me all the time that the things she doesnt miss most is their intolerance of conservatives and any opinion that doesnt agree with their preformed ideas of freedom.

My take is if your personal morals arent some sort of perversion its illegal.

There is no ammount of money that could make me live there but hey each their own good luck to ya

Jon, As I said, my experience was in the areas I lived in. You could find areas that were hardcore liberal and even a small few that were hardcore conservative, but those were fewer, farther between and quieter. Conservatives with guns will do better almost anywhere but Illinois at this point.

[TekGreg]

Originally Posted by PanBaccha

What a pleasure it was for me to read
a concise and informative essay on
regional attitudes and politics, with
proper punctuation and spacing.
Thank you, sir.

Thank you, PanBaccha! Almost all of my edits are because I can't stand looking at my own punctuation errors. I'm glad someone appreciates the perfection I try to apply!

[TekGreg]

Originally Posted by opaww

Very well said TekGreg a thumbs up

Thanks, Opaww! I always get too wordy, but this one I thought I had a good excuse.

[Overkill0084]

Your in Columbia South Carolina, are you sure you want to do this? You may find it's not really an upgrade. (I was TDY to Shaw AFB once, nice area.)
Plan on your cost of living to double or more.
The taxes will probably make your eyes water.
How's your spanish?
My wife's family is spread throughout CA. I honestly wish CA would come back into the US, because the state has a lot going for it. I was born there and left at age 14. Depending on your priorities, the negatives may not outweigh the positives. Having lived in a free state, I would be giving up too much to go back.