Ex NJ resident now in Florida - Long Post

[GunByte 2]

Hello to all. Just wanted to let you know how nice it is to live in a State that allows you to carry concealed and makes it very easy to buy all the guns you want. 19 months ago I woke up and knew I had to get out of NJ. Between the restrictive gun laws and other negatives of NJ I wanted out and I wanted to move to a State with liberal gun laws. Since my wife and I both have relatives here in Florida and the houses and taxes are very cheap compared to NJ, we decided to come on down. I negotiated with my employer on terms to work from home anywhere I wanted to live which gave them more than enough to cover the onsite things I could no longer do but enough to more than cover my new much lower cost of living. Took 7 months but we did it and are very happy after 19 months living here. 84 degrees on Xmas eve.

 

Let's talk guns. As soon as I got my driver's license here I applied for my concealed carry weapons permit (ccw). Filled out a form, supplied a picture and fingerprints and mailed it in and 13 days later I have my ccw good for 7 years. You can even go to one of the bigger cities and do it all at once in person. Very easy. Just a background check and proof that you either took a required course in Florida gun laws, showed that you knew how to operate and shoot any gun or provided you military discharge papers or other proof that you know how to shoot; even evidence of gun club membership or competition. I immediately bought 6 concealed handguns. No permit per gun needed. Just walk into any pawn shop or gun store and buy what you want. The form is very simple, one page to fill out and a signature and that is it. If you have a ccw you take home the guns immediately. Others usually must wait 3 days with exceptions.

 

I can carry everywhere except for a list of places like schools, bars (resturants with bars are OK though), athletic events, Post Office, etc. Stores can post signs but they do not carry legal weight but if they ask you to leave you must or you can be charged with armed tresspassing. In practice, concealed is concealed so it is rare to be asked to leave for carrying a gun in a mall or store. However, we never carry at the prohibited places as there are serious consequences.

 

As far as the fear of the State becoming the wild west, the opposite is true. There is a mandatory 3 year, without parole, sentance for brandishing your concealed weapon. The only time you can draw it is when you are in facing death or serious injury. Can't shoot anyone just for punching you in the nose. In practice those with ccw permits tend to avoid conflict because if you start a fight and then end it with a gun it will not be considered self defense since the other guy is the one defending himself against you. In some respects you are more limited as to your actions when you are armed.

 

I went a little overboard and bought 23 handguns in the last 18 months trying to find the perfect carry gun. Living in NJ I only had full sized service guns and did not know how difficult it was to find the right gun and gun and holsters. I said holsters as we all end up with drawers full of holsters for different occassions and in pursuit of the perfect holster. Anyway I got it down to just 4 guns that I carry with 5 more for range fun and home defense. I mostly pocket carry a S&W J-Frame snubbie but also have a nice Kahr PM9 and 3" Colt 1911 that I carry when needed. Have two very small .380 guns, one of which weighs only 9 oz..

 

How do I describe how nice it is to be able to go out armed every day? Putting a gun in my pocket or on my belt now feels as natural as taking my wallet with me. At first I felt that everyone could tell I have a gun on me but in reality no one notices anything but themselves. Soon I stopped worrying about being noticed and anyway as long as the gun is covered you are good to go. Heck you can carry it in a paper bag if you want. This year they tried to pass an open carry law but it was not passed and instead we got two new laws. One does not make it a crime if your concealed gun is briefly and accidently exposed such as wind blowing open a shirt or bending over, etc.. No one was ever arrested for accidently exposing their guns in the pass but now there is a law to protect us. Still there is no case law as to what time period "briefly" is. The other and more significant law imposed fines against any non State employee who enforced gun laws different than the State's. Places like Miami and smaller places where the sheriffs reign as kings, had a tendancy to disregard State law and impose their own more restrictive ones. Now they have all fallen in line rather than risk a $50K personal fine. So I can travel from one end of Florida to the other and not have to worry about what places I can carry my gun.

 

Also notice that I said I have a concealed weapons permit and not concealed gun permit. My ccw allows me to carry any weapon concealed, even a machete. It also covers knives although, as in NJ, knife laws are fuzzy and still subject to local interpretation. Anyone over 18 years old can carry a gun in their car without any permit as look as it is covered. In the glovebox is good or even in a shoe box on the seat next to you is legal, although a bad idea if you stop short as the gun will go flying away.

 

I now can easily enjoy my gun hobby as we have indoor and outdoor ranges all over the place and some local farms host Steel and shotgun matches on weekends. It costs me $9 to shoot at my local indoor range so I go almost every week. As far as gun clubs go, there are many, but very few as good as the ones in NJ which was very surprising. The local gun club near me has no rifle or indoor pistol range for instance. Shooting outdoors in the warmer months is brutal so I stick to the indoor range and even then I avoid it in the summer since it is not air conditioned. Lately, Gander Mountain, a large chain store like Dicks, has opened a few state of the art indoor ranges that are great but very pricey; at least for down here.

 

That is about it. After living in a State with liberal gun laws I cannot imagine ever moving back to NJ or NY. I do not know if I could get used to walking about without a gun on me anymore. It really feels good, especially as you get older and cannot physically defend yourself any more, to know that you are not a helpless victim. With reciprical privileges I can go just about anywhere with my concealed gun, except back home to NJ. I had to discover all the wonderful small guns available on the market as they were impractical to own in NJ for home defense, competition or range fun. These are guns made to be easily carried for long times but shot little other than practicing to make sure you can shoot it accurately in a self defense situation. I made the mistake of buying some big guns because they were not problem to carry around the house for an hour or two. However, carrying them as you go about your daily routine made then a literal pain to carry. Now I carry mostly 15 oz. on a daily basis and if going outside of my comfort zone, 25 oz. of .45 acp goodness. No snow, no state and city income taxes, affordable homes and utilities and an extra hour of daylight. Bet most of you did not know we get extra daylight because we are closer to the equator. Sure summers are hot and humid but we are only outside at the pool or to walk from one air conditioned place/car to another so it is no bother. It seems that the kids here are used to it and don't even break a sweat. Even I got used to it after the first year and now am cold if the temperature drops below 76. Hopefully I have conveyed what it is like to live in a less restrictive gun State and what it is like to be able to carry a concealed weapon like most people can do in most other States.

[jonny.montana 48]

Really nice write up.... Im actually driving to FL next week to clear my head a bit... I been considering in moving there, but work is a problem.

[CageFighter 236]

thanks for rubbing it in!

[Midwest 28]

Like Florida, KY allows other weapons like knives with the CCDW permit. I still haven't obtained the permit yet...

[tony357 386]

Nice write up, my inlaws are here for christmas from florida, funny thing is the heat came on today and i said to my wife did the heat just come on!! it is set for florida visit..LOL..

 

OH, welcome to the forum, even if you are a floridian..HAHA..

[Malsua 1,422]

Congrats. I moved from Ohio, which has fairly liberal gun laws. NJ makes me grit my teeth in annoyance.

 

The only thing you lost me on is this:

Bet most of you did not know we get extra daylight because we are closer to the equator

 

Yeah, I didn't know that, simply because it's not true.

 

You get EXACTLY the same amount of sunlight as we do, it's just at different times of year.

 

I used to travel extensively to Honduras. My first trip was in January. It was great! It was 80ish degrees and the sun set about 5:30 PM. How great is that..The sun was setting at 4:30 in NJ.

 

Fast forward to a trip in late June...the sun was setting at 9:30 in NJ...that's great! We'll get out of work in Honduras and get 3 hours on the beach...hey, it must be a storm blowing up...its 6:15 and getting dark. Oh, right...the sun is setting.

[jeklog 7]

nice post thanks!

[GunByte 2]

Congrats. I moved from Ohio, which has fairly liberal gun laws. NJ makes me grit my teeth in annoyance.

 

The only thing you lost me on is this:

 

 

Yeah, I didn't know that, simply because it's not true.

 

You get EXACTLY the same amount of sunlight as we do, it's just at different times of year.

 

I used to travel extensively to Honduras. My first trip was in January. It was great! It was 80ish degrees and the sun set about 5:30 PM. How great is that..The sun was setting at 4:30 in NJ.

 

Fast forward to a trip in late June...the sun was setting at 9:30 in NJ...that's great! We'll get out of work in Honduras and get 3 hours on the beach...hey, it must be a storm blowing up...its 6:15 and getting dark. Oh, right...the sun is setting.

 

You are correct due to the tilt of the earth's access. Just that I sleep until 10am so I do not realize the sun it rising later in the day during the Summer. Plus we have so much sunshine and clear skies that it just seems to be sunny all the time. I am one of those people affected by lack of sunlight and I just love opening my blinds every morning and seeing that sun.

[GunByte 2]

Nice write up, my inlaws are here for christmas from florida, funny thing is the heat came on today and i said to my wife did the heat just come on!! it is set for florida visit..LOL..

 

OH, welcome to the forum, even if you are a floridian..HAHA..

 

Thanks. I am a former member of the Old Bridge Rifle and Pistol Club. We had to turn the A/C on today. Best part is that I live in a golf cart community and can get to almost anywhere in my golf cart. It is like driving in a really slow convertable with no doors.

[Malsua 1,422]

Thanks. I am a former member of the Old Bridge Rifle and Pistol Club. We had to turn the A/C on today. Best part is that I live in a golf cart community and can get to almost anywhere in my golf cart. It is like driving in a really slow convertable with no doors.

 

My mother and sister each have a home in The Villages. The cart is king there for sure. I could probably be convinced to move there but my job is pretty unique and since I've been at it nearly 12 years, I am probably in it for the long haul. I'm stuck in NJ until something changes. It was pretty exciting when I uprooted from Ohio...it was an adventure I intend to do again some day.

[njpilot 671]

Welcome. I like FL, but job issues and girlfriend make it difficult to move now.

 

Where abouts are you?

 

I really like the St. Augustine area.

[matt6669 71]

I'm currently in the same situation you were in 18 months ago. I'm actually in Florida now visiting my g/f and have an interview to go to shortly today so I am keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well. If it does, I'll be moving to the Tampa area and saying good bye to NJ. The fact that I could wear shorts on Christmas day was beyond amazing.

 

Glad to hear you have gotten use to the humidity. I make fun of my g/f every time she puts a sweatshirt on when it's 75

[Socom 19]

Feels great does it not? I miss my old military days in virginia when i had my ccw i felt so naked and crappy when i moved home to jersey!

[Soju 153]

Was it hard to immediately buy 6 concealed handguns? How did you even know they were there? How did you see them? Were they not concealed very well?

[CageFighter 236]

I really like the St. Augustine area.

 

I like West Palm Beach!

Eventually, looking to buy a condo in CityPlace.

[njpilot 671]

I like West Palm Beach!

Eventually, looking to buy a condo in CityPlace.

 

Yeah, I go to PBI twice a year for recurrent training. I like it, was even looking at a job there back in '06, but my girlfriend didn't want to go. Too hot, oy!

 

I've been in Palm Beach in July and it's worse in NJ.

[XDJohnTact 49]

thanks for rubbing it in!

 

Yeah, what he said!

 

Actually I offered to move to Florida when I first retired but the wife wanted to stay in jersey to be close to family. I would not move there just so I could carry a gun though, I can move right next door to PA and do that.