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While the suffocating nanny state
continues to grow at the local and national levels, some places
are even more socialistic than what passes for normal in 21st
century America. When it comes to these havens for people controllers
and Karl Marx wannabes, the idea of "working within the system"
to change things for the better is delusional. The ONLY solution
for freedom lovers is to get out and stay out of all 7 of these
hideous People's Republics.
How did I come up with the worst
places in America? What methodology was used? Never mind government
economic numbers, Chamber of Commerce puffery and other completely
unreliable data. Per capita spending on government schools and
the number of Taco Bells in certain areas wasn't considered. Climate
didn't enter into the rankings, as that can be a subjective choice
heavily skewed by personal preferences.
Just one factor was used to pick
the socialistic seven. Before you accuse me of laziness, rest
assured that this single indicator provides utterly reliable and
time-tested proof of a state government's attitude towards freedom
and taxation.
What's the common denominator?
Just check the state and local gun laws. Without exception, places
where emotional, "don't confuse me with the facts" shrieks of
gun grabbers are the background music of daily life also overflow
with nosy bureaucrats and ever-growing taxation and regulation.
Anti-Second Amendment laws and
undisguised hatred of individual liberty in other areas of life
are a natural and predictable combination. If the local commissars
despise your AK-47 and Glock pistol, don't expect them to keep
their greedy paws off your earnings or the right to do what you
see fit on your acreage.
In alphabetical order, here are
America's worst places to live.
- California: No list of anti-Second
Amendment places would be complete without this cancer on the
body of liberty. Under state law, every gun sale (even between
2 private parties) is supposed to be performed through and recorded
by a licensed dealer, and a 10-day waiting period for gun purchases
is required. That rule backfired on hypocritical gun grabbers
who came to their senses during the L.A. riots of 1992.
Anyone who has the misfortune of
moving to California must register their handguns with the Department
of Justice. State-designated "assault weapons" such as the AR-15
and its spinoffs, all AK-47s, the FN (Fabrique Nationale) .308s
and a number of other semi-automatic rifles must be registered
with the state. Even those who own inexpensive SKS rifles with
a detachable magazine are expected to tell the bureau(c)rats about
their weapon.
Even though he made a fortune in
shoot 'em up movies, Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
is solidly in the gun grabbber camp. That passes for consistency
in the Hollywood mindset.
- District of Columbia/Washington
DC: Predictably, the epicenter of the worship of statism has the
worst gun laws in America. All handgun ownership is banned, and
those who own rifles or shotguns must register with the city.
Don't plan on using your Ruger 10/22 or Remington 870 for home
defense in DC if a burglar or crackhead is in the bedroom. All
guns must be stored and disassembled or fitted with a trigger
lock. Those who must work in DC can always live in Virginia.
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- Hawaii: This tropical haven for
collectivists can make Montana winters look good by comparison.
Those who move to Hawaii are required to register every gun they
own with the state within 72 hours of arrival. Permits must be
obtained for handgun (seldom issued) and long gun purchases. I'll
stick with the mainland.
- Illinois: The state's perpetually
corrupt and bloated government is obsessed with tracking and restricting
law-abiding gun owners. It would be difficult to find a more outspoken
opponent of the Second Amendment than Chicago mayor Richard Daley.
Handguns are already banned in Chicago (tell that to the many
gangbangers who use them), and all other guns are supposed to
be registered at City Hall, but that isn't enough to satisfy Daley's
lust for power.
On more than one occasion, Daley
has stated his desire to see all guns banned. His taxpayer-financed
hallucinations include an unsuccessful attempt to create a 100-mile
"gun free" zone around Chicago. Where does Daley think he has
the right to impose his Stalinist vision on other towns, not to
mention residents of Wisconsin and Indiana? Never one to refrain
from butting in where he has no business or jurisdiction, the
mayor also failed in a lawsuit against suburban gun shops. Daley
has Mussolini's bluster with 60 fewer IQ points than Il Duce,
and he can count on a loyal toady in governor Rod Blagojevich.
Things aren't much better outside
of Chicago. All Illinois gun owners are required to obtain a Firearm
Owners Identification Card (FOID) from the state, and the card
must be presented to purchase even a single round of ammo. All
gun purchases are supposed to be registered with the state.
Gun phobia is firmly rooted in
a number of effete suburbs. Local ordinances ban all gun ownership
in Skokie, while handguns are banned in Evanston, Highland Park,
Morton Grove, Oak Park, Wilmette and Winnetka. Got a job in Chicago?
Commute from northwest Indiana.
- Massachusetts: The locals keep
re-electing Ted Kennedy. Need I say more?
Residents must register with the
state and obtain permission from Massa(chusetts) to purchase even
a simple single-shot long gun. So-called "assault weapons" are
banned, and going through the bureaucratic paperwork and fingerprinting
to obtain a firearm identification card doesn't automatically
lead to handgun shopping.
The basic FID is limited to "only
a non-large capacity rifle or shotgun and feeding devices and
ammunition therefor." Cards are issued by police chiefs. Class
A licenses are required for handgun ownership, and random restrictions
may be placed on the government permission slip.
"A complex procedure is set out
for the purchase of rifles, shotguns, handguns, their related
feeding devices, large capacity firearms and large capacity feeding
devices," according to the National Rifle Association (NRA). "Care
must be taken to have the correct card or license for a particular
purchase. It is unlawful to sell, or transfer any firearm, firearm
feeding device or ammunition to person without the proper card,
license or permit."
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The solution for freedom lovers
is obvious: Move to New Hampshire.
- New Jersey: Here's another place
that mandates gun owner registration. Only holders of a Firearms
Purchasers Identification Card (FID) may legally own a weapon.
A permit to purchase "in quadruplicate" must be acquired for each
handgun purchase. Handguns must be trigger-locked or disabled
in some other way to prevent quick access.
New Jerseyans sometimes complain
about the state's reputation as a less than desirable place to
live, but few places offer such an unappealing combination of
high cost of living, excessive taxes, traffic jams and hatred
of individual liberty. Pennsylvania is a nearby alternative for
gun owners.
- New York: Meet the granddaddy
of gun/people control. The infamous Sullivan Act of 1911 was the
first major anti-gun legislation in America. Sullivan was passed
to keep all but well-connected New York City residents from legally
owning handguns. Big Apple residents were required to register
their rifles and shotguns with the city in 1967. Not surprisingly,
politicians promised to never raise the $3 per gun fee. It's now
$55 per gun to put your name on the city's database/hit list.
All residents of the state must
get a permit if they want to own a handgun. The process can take
up to 6 months. Orwell's Big Brother would feel right at home
in Albany or Manhattan.
Dishonorable mentions: Residents
of Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota are required
to get permits for handguns, but rifle and shotgun laws follow
the national guidelines. Wisconsin's gun laws are average by current
standards, but (as a 10-year cheesehead) I have to put the state
on the list because of its confiscatory tax structure and gluttonous
state and local government.
*posted from: Conservative_Principles_and_Activism
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