Just got back from free America

[wilit]

Wow. It sure is difficult to remember that I'm not an instant suspect because I'm a gun owner.

Anywhooo... Went to Nevada to leave some copper and lead deposits in a hill side. Since I hadn't been to BLM land shooting in a long time, my buddies and I decided to stop by a local (Carson City) gun store to ask for directions to a good shooting spot. All 5 of us Cali residents walk in to the small store and find three grumpy looking older gents. All of us kinda looked at each other with that, "Oh man, this isn't going to be good" look on our faces. After getting within earshot of the owner, he greets us all individually and asks us if we need help (amazing service for a gun store. He must not know we're not locals.) So we ask where to go shoot and he tells us of a couple of spots. Then asks where we're from. UH OH... So my buddy says, "We're from the occupied land just west of here." The old guys chuckle and say, "Oh the PRK? Sorry to hear that fellas." So we chatted a while longer. Great guys, no, "WHAT? You're from CA? Get outta my store!" I think the place was called America West Guns, but I'm not certain.

[VegasND]

Glad you were welcomed politely here in Nevada. You folks visit, spend a lot of money, and help keep us working. As far as I'm concerned, if all you want to do is drive over and enrich the mineral wealth of our hillsides, that's cool.

A friend and I took out some personal ordnance today for a little fun as well; it included several items not legally available to you. We broke no laws, harmed no property, and just had a good time. Probably just like your little excursion.

Hope things improve for you soon.

[glockman19]

I just returned from FL and it was a pleasure to legally carry concealed.

[LAK Supply]

Since I've been up here a lot of people have asked where I'm from.... I always tell them something like "the people's socialist republic of California"...... It really starts the conversation off on the right foot by letting them know that I don't like where I came from and won't be trying to Californicate this area.

[TonyM]

Since I've been up here a lot of people have asked where I'm from.... I always tell them something like "the people's socialist republic of California"...... It really starts the conversation off on the right foot by letting them know that I don't like where I came from and won't be trying to Californicate this area.

Do you tell them that you hate California so much you find yourself drawn to it's message boards to post about how green the grass is over there?

I personally find those comments rude, and silly. Just tell them you're from Arizona if you're that worried about "Californicating" the place.

[Technical Ted]

I was on my way to visit a friend in CO. Stopped in at The Gun Trader on Plumb Lane. I pulled up and parked out front. It was a slow Saturday afternoon in the shop because of the Big Reno show that weekend (where I'd already spent Friday and Saturday morning).

When I walked in the first words out of the mouth of the owners mouth were: "How long have you been out of California?" I realized he saw my plates as I pulled up.

Told him I was passing through on my way to CO and he welcomed me to Free America.

I walked around the store for a bit, then stepped up to the counter. We chatted for awhile and he told me he used to live in the SF Bay Area. I asked to check out some of the firearms and he obliged without hesitation.

He asked me what I was going to do out in CO. Told him I was visiting friends, then asked him which about the routes I was considering: I-80 or US50. He gave me a good run down, then added, "In either case I'd keep a piece handy and loaded. You can do that in Nevada."

I'd forgotten about that little detail. I thought it was friendly of him to mention that. I just raised my eyebrow. "You don't look like the kind of guy that would travel cross country without a piece. I do."

I just smiled.

Once in CO I spent a day driving around Grand Junction while my friend was working. Stopped in at a surplus store. Saw that they had .50 BMG chamber brushes and bought a few for a friend. Asked the seasoned gentleman behind the counter if there was a range near town. He thought for a second (looking at me curiously) then said "I think there's one near Montrose (about 50 miles southeast of GJ), but most of us just drive out J Street past the airport and shoot against the cliffs (Grand Junction is in a valley bordered by canyons and cliffs).

That's gun friendly country.

[LAK Supply]

No.... I like this MB because most of the people on it are much more friendly than those on the other boards I frequent. That is why I still come here.

In case you haven't ventured out of the state for the last decade or so, most people in other states despise California. People move in for the benefits (lower taxes, fewer laws, affordable housing, etc.) and then want to change their new place into the place they came from.... this usually turns into more regulation, taxes, expensive housing etc... all the things people moved to avoid.

There is nothing silly or rude about my comments.... and I rarely post anything about the grass being greener.... if you look up the threads I have participated in you will find that nearly all of them have nothing to do with location.

If you like all of the bad things about California then you're free to do so..... most people don't like over-taxation, regulation, expense and the like. I would much rather start a "where are you from" conversation by getting a laugh out of people than by leaving them thinking I'm "one more Californian who wants to change the place." I'm not worried about "californicating" the place.... I'm more concerned with getting along with the locals by letting them know right away that I'm not out to ruin their area by trying to make it California.

Do you tell them that you hate California so much you find yourself drawn to it's message boards to post about how green the grass is over there?

I personally find those comments rude, and silly. Just tell them you're from Arizona if you're that worried about "Californicating" the place.

[VegasND]

And LAK Supply wins a cookie!

There are generally many more people from CA than from most states visiting. Anybody from CA who acts like a pr1ck taints all. When you go somewhere else, don't explain how much better it's done back in CA. Most 'fly-over' (guaranteed to cause hostility) residents don't want their state to be more like either coast.

I too get hostile at those who move from fascist amurrka and want to remake their new home in the image of the hole they vacated.

[wilit]

He asked me what I was going to do out in CO. Told him I was visiting friends, then asked him which about the routes I was considering: I-80 or US50. He gave me a good run down, then added, "In either case I'd keep a piece handy and loaded. You can do that in Nevada."

I'd forgotten about that little detail. I thought it was friendly of him to mention that. I just raised my eyebrow. "You don't look like the kind of guy that would travel cross country without a piece. I do."

.

Funny, the guy at the store told us something similar. After we told him we'd go check out that range, the guy said, "make sure you have a piece you don't plan on shooting strapped to your hip. We've got a lot of gangbangers out here and that'll deter them from tryin' anything funny." It took us all about 20 minutes to realize that we can legally open carry in that state. Sucks to come from a state where you forget you have rights.

[Gringo Bandito]

Wow. It sure is difficult to remember that I'm not an instant suspect because I'm a gun owner.

Anywhooo... Went to Nevada to leave some copper and lead deposits in a hill side. Since I hadn't been to BLM land shooting in a long time, my buddies and I decided to stop by a local (Carson City) gun store to ask for directions to a good shooting spot. All 5 of us Cali residents walk in to the small store and find three grumpy looking older gents. All of us kinda looked at each other with that, "Oh man, this isn't going to be good" look on our faces. After getting within earshot of the owner, he greets us all individually and asks us if we need help (amazing service for a gun store. He must not know we're not locals.) So we ask where to go shoot and he tells us of a couple of spots. Then asks where we're from. UH OH... So my buddy says, "We're from the occupied land just west of here." The old guys chuckle and say, "Oh the PRK? Sorry to hear that fellas." So we chatted a while longer. Great guys, no, "WHAT? You're from CA? Get outta my store!" I think the place was called America West Guns, but I'm not certain.

I just did that same trip about three weeks ago for a party in Reno. My buddy and I took a little time out to go to the range near the dump as you are heading out of town( Carson City ). It was great to shoot out to 300 yards and not worry about firing to rapidly or anything else but it was strange being there without a range master and all of the rules. (internal thought)It's pretty sad that freedom feels strange.

The guys at that shop are pretty cool and plus you go to the supermarket next store and buy a bunch of stuff to shoot at.

[Pvt. Cowboy]

Oooh, a Nevada thread!

Time for my Nevada-living self to rant a bit to tell you how Nevadans really think of you:

I haven't been out of California that long, but I have noticed that Nevadans don't typically hate Californians. They just think that the remaining decent Californians are really naive for putting up with all of the crap that they suffer. At least that, or you're just too chicken to leave. That's why you hear 'I'm sorry' with a smile when you tell a liberty-loving Nevadan that you're visiting from behind the Lavender Curtain. The rest of the undesirable Californians can stay where they are and stew in their own juices for all Nevada cares. Northern Nevadans do seem to dislike Southern Nevadans, however, and the sentiment is far stronger than the way that NorCal people look down upon SoCal people. The reason for this is that Las Vegas is where all of the fleeing lower middle class Californian ragamuffins usually end up, and they're looked upon as dirty footed liberal trash that elected the much hated Harry Reid. In contrast, Northern Nevadans are pretty hardcore conservative. Hell, I met the sheriff here and he reminded me exactly of Oliver North from FOX News' "War Stories". I think he even practices in front of a mirror when no-one's looking. You bet your butt he'll sign a Form 4. They charge a $25 fee for up to five machine gun transfers at a time, but they'll probably do as many as you want without fussin' at you. The plumper country girl who took my ATF fingerprints was really flirty with me and said she loves guns while pressing down with her soft little hands on my wedding ring to get my left ring finger printed, but I digress... Let's just say that there's a lot of swingers here in Reno.

Quite a lot of Nevadans are either former Californians themselves (particularly those in Southern Nevada, as I mentioned) or at least have family still living over the border. I do notice the occasional bumper sticker on trucks here that reads 'We don't care how you did it in California'. Nevadans know that they supply California's power, water, and house California's overflow criminals for which California pays handsomely. California wouldn't dare produce it's own unclean power, so they buy it from out of state and pretend that they're 'Green' and environmentally correct while driving in a traffic jam alone in their SUVs. Northern Nevadans savagely mock the garden-variety California liberal while at the same time feel just a bit of sorrow for the outnumbered California conservative. When I mean 'just a bit', I truly mean a very small amount. Some of you who have been to the Big Reno Show know what sort of sentiment I 'm talking about. They can tell you're a California boy before you've even opened your mouth to say something ignorant like 'Is there paperwork required for this gun?' ("Yep, just a small plastic card that says 'N-E-V-A-D-A' across the top and has your picture and address on it, mister.") and wonder by looking at you if those beaches you never go to are worth the liberty you surrendered to slave away for the greater glory of Queen California the Mad and her extraordinarily high taxes, insulting politicians, and incomprehensible laws. To the less-kind Nevadans, Californians are like a perverted laboratory experiment designed to see how long it takes to make a sane person go crazy. It's usually the former Californians who hold this sentiment.

There are really only two civic centers in which to live in Nevada (unless you're a REAL cowboy who lives out in Ely or Elko) and they both cater to the visiting hell-raising Californian come to wallow in sin and alcohol by the tens of thousands every weekend. To Nevadans, it's easy to blame every bad thing that happens in Reno or Las Vegas on Californians, but they tolerate it because Californians are paying Nevadans' state income taxes through gambling and traffic citations. Just keep in mind that in Reno, the very sight of graffiti is enough to warrant a police response. They just do not tolerate the imported California crime culture here. We have our own native Nevadan crime culture here, thank you very much, and it works just fine without any of your Californian influence butting in.

My local paper is filled with accounts of what some dumbass Californians did downtown this weekend. Every Monday morning, the jails finally release the hundreds of Californians that the Reno Sheriff's Department or NHP tossed in the slammer over the weekend for being wild and obnoxious. I've seen them myself stumbling out of jail into the sunlight with their ripped, torn, and bloodied FUBU and Raiders jerseys, UC school shirts, and other decidedly Californian style of dress that's more at home in the SF Bay Area than anywhere you could imagine in Northern Nevada. After meeting with the judge and given a fine or bail set at a certain amount, they get loaded onto a bus and taken to the impound yard where their cars with the California license plates are all waiting for them. Every self-respecting person in Reno who doesn't actually work in the gaming industry knows there is no reason at all to go downtown where the casinos are, much less on a weekend where the fender-bending Californians are driving under the influence and stabbing each other in the parking garages. The Nevada Highway Patrol also knows that every person they pull over has had numerous belts of free liquor while playing the stupid 'Texas Tea' machine, so they just immediately ask how much you've been drinking tonight. Oh, just two? Everyone says that. Why don't you step out of the car sir, please.

If it were hell-raising drunk Nevadans coming into California starting on Friday at noon all the way until Sunday at 4pm, Californians would have the same sentiment towards Nevadans rather than the reverse being true. That's why when Nevadans meet a Californian in an unlikely place (namely, anywhere outside the gambling and whoring areas of Reno and LV) it's a bit of a novelty to encounter them and you might actually get treated with a far greater measure of cordiality.

[DedEye]

I just did that same trip about three weeks ago for a party in Reno. My buddy and I took a little time out to go to the range near the dump as you are heading out of town( Carson City ). It was great to shoot out to 300 yards and not worry about firing to rapidly or anything else but it was strange being there without a range master and all of the rules. (internal thought)It's pretty sad that freedom feels strange.

The guys at that shop are pretty cool and plus you go to the supermarket next store and buy a bunch of stuff to shoot at.

National Forest where I shoot here in CA doesn't have any rules or rangemaster, so I know what freedom feels like in CA.

[leelaw]

This has gone far enough.

[dfletcher]

This past summer on a 1 month vacation I drove cross country and spent time in about 12 states. I was often talking with (or buying from) gun guys and most of them, believe it or not, have only a vague understanding that gun ownership is tough out here. When informed most of their comments were supportive and I found that being polite, genuine and respectful - whether it was involving guns or where to get the best biscuits & gravy (Savory's in Dundee, MI) at a local diner went a long way. Most folks realize CA is "different" but don't hold it against us as individuals.

It was refreshing to see the rest of the country and I highly recommend it. Nice to see that much of the country functions as we would like things to work here.

[Kestryll]

This thread has been cleaned up and now returned to it original topic.

The baiting, snide comments and trolling needs to stop now.