Possibly Moving To TN - Some Questions

[Jaber6]

Hello,

Firstly, if this is the wrong section to post this, please feel free to move it. 

My wife and I are thinking of relocating from IL to somewhere outside of Nashville, TN. We started researching the areas around Nashville (Williamson County and Davidson County) and found a couple cities that look promising. One of the things that is really important to me, are 2A rights. I love cars and guns

While IL does have some pretty strict gun laws - we have shall issue, no magazine restrictions, no registration/databases (but they're trying hard on this!). If you have a clean record, it's easy to obtain your FOID (Firearm Owners Identification Card), it just takes up to 45 days to receive the card in the mail and a small fee. CCL on the other hand is $150 + training ($150-200), up to 120 days wait, finger prints speed up the process, but adds another $50-70. 

We currently live in a northwest suburb of Chicago, getting taxed on pretty much everything, because we're in the same county as Chicago. We're deep in the blue area and anti-gunners are strong. We're lucky that 2 new ranges opened up in the past year and one is opening up (after a decade of fighting in courts) 15min from my house. All are indoor, if I want outdoor, have to travel at least 2 hours one way. 

Looking for feedback on how 2A friendly the towns around Nashville are. I'd hate to move from one state that is very anti-2A and move to a state that has lax gun laws, but the county we would move to, be anti-2A. 

Appreciate any input, thanks! 

[monkeylizard]

Tennessee doesn't allow counties to pass their own laws about carry, purchase, and ownership. The state is the end-all-be-all of gun legislation. So what goes in one county, goes in all of them*.

We have no FOID requirement.

We can carry in our own cars without a permit.

Our permits are Handgun Carry Permits and allow your choice of open or concealed carry. These are shall-issue.

You can own NFA items here. All NFA laws apply. CLEO signature is a shall-issue in these cases.

There are some places off-limits even with a permit. These places have to be properly posted as no-gun areas. You'll find more of those in the blue Davidson County than you will in the red Williamson County, but they still exist there too.**

As in most states, schools and universities are their own animals with various special provisions. Won't bore you with the details unless you want them.

 

*An exception is that city ordinances can control the times of day and locations where firearms may be discharged. It's more or less a noise-ordinance kind of thing.

**Parks operated by a city/county can be made off-limits, but they have to post the park with signs, just like any business or other government facility. This is an example of Davidson vs Williamson. Davidson's are posted, Williamson's are not. State Parks are carry friendly by state law.

Edited January 23, 2017 by monkeylizard

[Cruel Hand Luke]

Well the first thing is there is no FOID card to have to get here. You simply pay for guns and ammo and take it home...There is a background check on firearms purchased from a dealer but not from individuals. But that is the same every where. You can own NFA items (Machine guns , Silencers, Short barrel Rifles and Shotguns, and AOWs.) Carry permit is shall issue and you can even carry in your car without a permit. And the counties and cities cannot pass more stringent laws than the state laws...and it looks like Monkey Lizard posted his answer while I was typing.....

Edited January 23, 2017 by Cruel Hand Luke

[Jaber6]

Thanks for the quick responses. I'm really looking forward to relocating if all the cards fall into place. 

It's nice to know that every county will be the same, unlike here, where it varies by county/town. And sometimes certain laws (or ones that no longer exist) are so uncertain that you pay close attention to any cases that relate to it. 

How popular is open carry in Davidson/Williamson county?

I googled to see how many ranges are in the area and seems like there's a good amount. 

[Garufa]

While the gun ownership questions have been answered sufficiently just know this:  Tennessee, especially middle Tennessee, is nearly reaching carrying capacity of Northerners moving in for "freedom".  To most of them that means freedom from paying exhorbitant taxes, not necessarily gun rights.  They are changing to culture to suit "where they came from".

If you choose to assimilate, and become an honorary Southerner, then welcome.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Garufa

[DaveTN]

No FOID here or waiting periods. All you need to buy a gun or ammo here is cash. You don’t need a permit to have a gun in your car; you do need a permit to carry. Open carry is not very popular here; but you will see that when you are here. “Concealed” is not addressed with a permit. Open or concealed is legal with a permit (HCP). Like anywhere else if you are suspicious the cops may stop you; gun or not. Signs on businesses banning carry have the weight of law; $500 fine only misdemeanor. However, most of the cops will give you a trespass warning. You are not legally required to tell an Officer you are carrying if you are stopped. But the pavement here gets a lot hotter than in Illinois and it’s a good idea.

[2.ooohhh]

AS a resident of TN and business owner in IL there are 3 key reasons I still live here other than loving my day job.

1. The people (Nashville born and raised and while Southern IL is as close as you can get to the south in IL it just isn't the same)

2. The gun laws (Owning SBRs Suppressors, and Full auto weapons is a hoot, not to mention I can carry FAR more places here.) One small point in IL's favor here though, they got the signage bit of their carry law right. You can see those things from 100ft away!

3. The state's tax structure (the state income tax while not as bad as OR is still relevant. I would rather keep my cash in my pocket than give it to the government needlessly. This is amplified by the fact that ranked by fiscal responsibility TN falls inside the top 10 while IL is in the bottom 5.)

[Cruel Hand Luke]

As someone mentioned before, lots of people fed up with the stifling situations in their repressive states like California and Massachusetts move to states that are less restrictive like cities in the South. They move there for the lower taxes, more freedom and less restrictions , lower crime and better standard of living. But when Election Day rolls around they tend to still vote the same way their parents and grandparents always did back where they came from and pretty soon the new place starts looking just like the overtaxed gun banning crime infested $hithole they left behind..... They don't realize that the way WE vote is why our state is where they want to move to and the liberal politicians who claim to want to "take care of you" are who create the mess they moved away from.

[Jaber6]

We're fed up with the liberal policies. God forbid my neighbors see a NRA, Conceal Carry or anything firearms related content in my house, they won't let their kids come over. Or if they find out I vote republican. 

We booked a trip to visit TN in a couple months, start checking out some areas and seeing what jobs are available in the area. The tough part will be leaving our family. 

Slightly O/T, but if anyone can comment on the weather, that would be great

[quietguy]

6 minutes ago, Jaber6 said:

We're fed up with the liberal policies. God forbid my neighbors see a NRA, Conceal Carry or anything firearms related content in my house, they won't let their kids come over. Or if they find out I vote republican. 

There are some areas of Nashville that are the same

Quote

The tough part will be leaving our family. 

I go to Chicago a couple of times a year.  Southwest has a direct flight to Midway, and if you book early it is fairly cheap.  

Quote

Slightly O/T, but if anyone can comment on the weather, that would be great  Like this

Middle TN weather runs the gamut.  We usually have 2-3 weeks of really hot summer, 2-3 weeks of cold in the winter.  How tolerable depends on the humidity at the time.   The worst weather we get is the occasional tornado/severe thunderstorm.  

If we get snow, there is usually ice beneath it, so driving is tricky and people are idiots.  

[Jaber6]

9 minutes ago, quietguy said:

There are some areas of Nashville that are the same

I go to Chicago a couple of times a year.  Southwest has a direct flight to Midway, and if you book early it is fairly cheap.  

Middle TN weather runs the gamut.  We usually have 2-3 weeks of really hot summer, 2-3 weeks of cold in the winter.  How tolerable depends on the humidity at the time.   The worst weather we get is the occasional tornado/severe thunderstorm.  

If we get snow, there is usually ice beneath it, so driving is tricky and people are idiots.  

Yeah, I kind of figured that much. Based on poll results from current and previous elections around/in Nashville and from googling around. I found a lot of threads from another forum  about people from California families moving to TN. And that's kind of scary, if they vote the same way they did back home, like others have said here. 

We have our eyes set on Mt Juliet right now. Franklin and Brentwood as alternatives. 

As far as weather, my only big concern are tornados. We never lived in an area where we have to worry about them. Where we're at now, only have to worry about flooding on major roads. So that's something we will have to think about. Both of our cars have winter tires, sounds like down there we would just need really good all-season tires. As it might be too warm some days for winter tires. 

 

[Bob T]

27 minutes ago, Jaber6 said:

We booked a trip to visit TN in a couple months, start checking out some areas and seeing what jobs are available in the area. The tough part will be leaving our family. 

Slightly O/T, but if anyone can comment on the weather, that would be great

Jaber,

One of my best friends moved from Bartlett, IL to Murfreesboro, just SE of Nashville, a couple of years ago, and has never been happier.  We just moved to the Knoxville area from Carol Stream, IL and love it.  I was born and raised in the Chicago area, but when we moved in, it was like I was really home.  The people here are wonderful, very friendly and helpful.  We didn't move here to change anything, we moved here because we like it the way it is.

As for firearms, there are plenty of ranges and gun shops.  I already found a great sportsman club with USPSA, IDPA, Steel and 3-gun matches, way closer than anything like it back home, and they shoot matches all year.  None of this April to Oct stuff, speaking of weather.

And if you happen to like motorcycles, there are some of the best roads I've ever seen in all directions, and again, not just April to Oct.

Bob

 

[Jaber6]

1 minute ago, Bob T said:

Jaber,

One of my best friends moved from Bartlett, IL to Murfreesboro, just SE of Nashville, a couple of years ago, and has never been happier.  We just moved to the Knoxville area from Carol Stream, IL and love it.  I was born and raised in the Chicago area, but when we moved in, it was like I was really home.  The people here are wonderful, very friendly and helpful.  We didn't move here to change anything, we moved here because we like it the way it is.

As for firearms, there are plenty of ranges and gun shops.  I already found a great sportsman club with USPSA, IDPA, Steel and 3-gun matches, way closer than anything like it back home, and they shoot matches all year.  None of this April to Oct stuff, speaking of weather.

And if you happen to like motorcycles, there are some of the best roads I've ever seen in all directions, and again, not just April to Oct.

Bob

 

Thanks Bob. While I don't own a motorcycle, I love driving. IL has nothing but straight roads and to get any fun cruises, I have to drive up north to Wisconsin, which also has better scenery. Paying tolls suck BTW. A good day to me, would be to take a nice long cruise and go shooting and then cleaning the car/guns afterwards 

 

[quietguy]

40 minutes ago, Jaber6 said:

Yeah, I kind of figured that much. Based on poll results from current and previous elections around/in Nashville and from googling around. I found a lot of threads from another forum  about people from California families moving to TN. And that's kind of scary, if they vote the same way they did back home, like others have said here. 

 

Nissan brought a lot of Californians to the area, but you see a lot of New York and Illinois plates around the area now.  

It is really just certain districts in Nashville, and you can take a look at the state legislative map the tell where they are.  

[monkeylizard]

The migration of Yankees usually centers around the cities. If you look at an election map, you'll see Nashville and Memphis as bright red blots on an otherwise beautiful blue state. If you can avoid Davidson Co, do it. There are still some nice areas, but the property taxes are higher than any other surrounding county, and it's a pain to deal with the city government for things like building permits simply due to the sheer size of the population. We're strained in many ways to handle the explosive growth we're seeing. Add in the city's worsening traffic, and just about any place else in Middle Tennessee looks better. Because of the building rush hour traffic, you may want to find a location which would be convenient for any work commute you may have.

Mt. Juliet is about as red-blooded 'Murica! as it gets around here. If it was any darker blue, you'd need a flashlight to find your way around. Wilson Co. was a long bastion of blue-collar union Democrats. But in the past few years, many have woken up and realized that the Democrat party of the 50s is dead. My family is from Wilson Co. and have relatives who were dyed in the wool Democrats that are some of the most ardent Trump supporters now.

Williamson Co. is much more blue than Davidson Co, but you'll find some limousine liberals there. It's certainly the more upscale area and is one of the wealthiest counties in the southeast, even when you factor in the more rural areas near Fairview.

 

[JayC]

20 hours ago, monkeylizard said:

**Parks operated by a city/county can be made off-limits, but they have to post the park with signs, just like any business or other government facility. This is an example of Davidson vs Williamson. Davidson's are posted, Williamson's are not. State Parks are carry friendly by state law.

Monkey has it all correct except this part right here.  All public parks are open to HCP holders, and can not be legally posted in TN.  There is currently a lawsuit working it's way through the court system on whether certain 'Entertainment venues' are covered by this section of law.  But, what you'd normally call a city park is clearly legal to carry in.

TN gun/carry laws are 'ok', but a hell of a lot better than IL.  Want to buy an AR-15 with a 30 round mag and a Glock pistol with a 17 round mag, go down to the local gun store with your TN drivers license and you'll walk out the door with the guns 30-45 minutes later.

Edited January 24, 2017 by JayC

[monkeylizard]

Doh! I'm living in the past. It used to be that they could be off-limits but had to be posted.

[Garufa]

14 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

Doh! I'm living in the past. It used to be that they could be off-limits but had to be posted.

And to make it even more fun the no gun signs were allowed to stay up, they just couldn't be replaced when the time came as part of normal maintenance.

[Jaber6]

Yeah we can't carry at the park here. And Cook County doesn't allow carry at forest preserve, while other counties do. 

 

Appreciate all the feedback guys. If there's anything else I need to be aware of or check out when we visit down there soon, please let me know! even if it's not 2A related. 

[JayC]

29 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

Doh! I'm living in the past. It used to be that they could be off-limits but had to be posted.

Yeah this changed 2+ years ago, all parks are carry good zones, city, county, state or national.

[monkeylizard]

Yeah, I know. I just had a senior moment. I crossed 40 and look what happens. 

[300winmag]

You've had it pretty bad if you've tried to legally carry in Illinois since there are so many places there off limits.

It used to be a real pain to carry legally here when we could not carry in any parks or places that serve alcohol.  Pretty much any decent restaurant was off limits.  If you like outdoor activities, the goofy park carry ban was a pain too.

From what I understand there was a point where you couldn't even carry at the gas stations or grocery stores in Tennessee, since most sell alcohol. 

There are still some carry traps here but not as bad as you've got in Illinois.

 

[tacops]

7 hours ago, Jaber6 said:

Slightly O/T, but if anyone can comment on the weather, that would be great

If you don't like the weather in East Tennessee...just wait a minute.

[DaveTN]

7 hours ago, Jaber6 said:

Slightly O/T, but if anyone can comment on the weather, that would be great

Well the good news is we don’t have miserable winters with -20 temps. The bad news is the summers are hotter. We don’t have much of that spring/fall good weather you get up there.

Heating units are outside here. When I first saw that I told a friend I had never seen that. He asked where are they in Illinois?

When you see a curve sign in Illinois you need to slow down. When you see a curve sign in Tennessee you need to be prepared for a turn.

Tennessee can’t get a wreck off the interstate without it taking hours. So if you live around the interstate; know the escape routes.

They can’t leave a name on a street for more than a couple of miles. So get use to it.

They have sweet tea here.

Carrying past a sign is probably the most talked about topic here that no one has ever been cited for.

You aren’t in Chicago anymore, so unless you are haulin’ azz; stay out of that left lane.

Hope this helps.  

 

[Jaber6]

Luckily most businesses around my area are not posted. In the past year, I've seen more than a handful of places remove the GFZ sticker. So in reality, there's not many places I can't carry, on a day to day basis. Besides work At the park... well, no comment. But I'll do anything to protect my kid. There hasn't been a test case yet, where someone got caught carrying where they shouldn't. Even then you don't lose your CCL, just get a fine and misdemeanor. 

Unfortunately we have anti-groups that consist of retired people, who go to gun shops and protest (3-5 people). When they're not doing that, they go around the nice suburbs that barely have any crime and encourage (more like bully) business owners to put up a GFZ sticker. The local news paper publishes the retarded articles this organizer writes, like "Less gun laws in IL (CCL) causes more deaths". They are not even ashamed to say they're targeting law abiding citizens. When they protested at a grand opening of a Portillo's (restaurant), because the owner supports 2A and refuses to put up GFZ, the owner told them to go pound sand. 

This year looks like a uphill battle for IL, we only got 1 bill (Pro gun) for the whole year, legalize suppressors. And it's already off to a rocky start, cause people that don't even live in IL, are voicing their concerns.  Meanwhile, we currently have 3-4 anti-gun bills. Ammo serialization, Gun Dealer Bill (adds massive restrictions to gun stores and increase cost of operation), and terrorist watch list. Pretty sure I'm missing one more, but you get the idea. Constant battle. 

 

As far as the traffic, yeah that would be a concern. I'm pretty good with alternative routes, my wife... not so much lol... She would easily get lost, even around here  Cause ideally, we'd like to be near an interstate. Right now in IL, to travel 20 miles in rushhour, could take 60-90 minutes. But they recently expanded I90, so that seems to have helped.