Leaving CT for TX (and never going back!)

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thewho0214

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Aug 14, 2012
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Austin, TX
Hi All,

The time has finally come to move down to TX and I'm trying to figure out some logistics for relocating. Any wisdom is appreciated!

1: From what I've been reading, having a moving company take your safe and locked long guns shouldn't be an issue, as long as they aren't going down I95, right? I plan on carrying my pistols with me in my own vehicle, locked and unloaded.

2: Arriving in TX, I'll need to apply for a TX CHL upon becoming a resident, will my non-resident Utah permit provide me reciprocity until receiving my TX permit or until I become a TX resident? I'm a bit confused after hearing that the law recently changed with regards to TX honoring Utah permits?

Any other knowledge on moving and TX is always welcome, thank you all!
 
I plan on carrying my pistols with me in my own vehicle, locked and unloaded.
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I don't know where in Connecticut you are, but I would take the shortest route out of there and avoid NJ. Take I-84 to PA, and then you can breathe a sigh of relief once you get into PA.

If you absolutely must go through NJ, don't stop for any reason even for gas till you get to PA. While you can use FOPA as an defense, you can still get arrested and jammed up in NJ until you go to court. Even NJ residents who have the FID card are not allowed to make stops going to and from a gun range even if they have their pistol locked and unloaded up in the trunk.

I know NY State isn't better either, but there have several cases of people getting jammed up in NJ. My advice is to avoid NJ altogether, if you can.

Good Luck and congratulations on the move!
.
 
Thanks Midwest!

Yes, I completely agree, I will have to avoid NJ all together and take 84 into PA. From PA to TX should be pretty simple though, right? It's literally getting out of the northeast that is always the issue with these types of moves.
 
Congratulations on making your way to the lone star state. I came here from Massachusetts after I graduated from a state university about 5 years ago and I have never looked back. Not even nostalgically. My dad, and family always ask me when I'm going to move back home. To them I say, "When are you going to smarten up and move to Texas?" It really is a great place to live.

Im assuming your making your way to one of the big cities? whereabouts?
 
Thanks JumboJimbo, looking forward to getting down to TX!

We'll be somewhere outside of Austin, work is in Austin. I'm not planning on missing the northeast either, it's just gets stranger by the minute up here.
 
thewho0214 said:
Thanks JumboJimbo, looking forward to getting down to TX!

We'll be somewhere outside of Austin, work is in Austin. I'm not planning on missing the northeast either, it's just gets stranger by the minute up here.
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Thats awesome! You'll be close! My home is in Pflugerville, which is right on top of Austin on the map. I'll be more than happy to show you the ropes! The gun culture here is a big part of a lot of peoples lives. The best part about it is the market. You can find ANYTHING on the used circuits here. And cheap to boot. There's a gun range not far from my home that has .22lr in stock all the time. If you dont mind me asking, how old are you? Age is a huge determining factor in choosing what part of Austin to live in.
 
I suggest taking the Mid South Route. In addition to avoiding NJ, you also avoid Maryland and Illinois.

From I-84 into PA
I-84 then take I-380 North to I-81 South
I-81 South to I-76 West (PA Turnpike) into I-70
I-70 West Virgina (short 15 minutes)
Then I-70 West into Ohio till Columbus, Then take I-71 South going toward Cincinnati
I-71 South through Cincinnati to I-75/I-71 South in KY

Exit 173 off of I-75 (I-71 South) to Louisville on I-71 then take I-65 South
I-65 South Into Nashville Tennessee then take I-40 West

On I-40 West continue toward Little Rock AR then I-30 South into Texas
.
 
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@JumboJimbo

I honestly believe I was just born in the wrong area of the country. Huge hunter, fisherman, atv rider etc. Married a Texan in the northeast and now it's time to go south, where life is good!

Super glad to hear you are in the same area, looking forward to getting to know everyone down there. I'm 28.
 
thewho0214 said:
@JumboJimbo

I honestly believe I was just born in the wrong area of the country. Huge hunter, fisherman, atv rider etc. Married a Texan in the northeast and now it's time to go south, where life is good!

Super glad to hear you are in the same area, looking forward to getting to know everyone down there. I'm 28.
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You're young, you'll fit in everywhere(i'm29). Here is the breakdown though. South Austin are the folks who perpetuate the "keep Austin weird" motto. They're the hippies, freaks, weirdos, super nerds, and hipsters. LOTS of homeless as well. South West, and West Austin are you're high society folk. Houses are 300k-the sky in price and they don't like when you show up at their parks. East Austin used to be a terrible place overrun with drugs. Even when I first moved here the advice was "stay on the west side of 35" This is changing everyday though. (Still avoid the montopolis area off of 183) East Austin is where the California money is going, and it shows. as far as north Austin is concerned its my personal favorite part of town. The night life further north is kind of lacking, but there's still plenty neighborhood watering holes if that's your thing. Otherwise its pretty safe, crime is minimal, and everybody is pretty nice. We have better HEB's up here too. (if you don't know, HEB is a grocery store. Scratch that... THE grocery store)

But thats how it breaks down

Anyhow one thing I feel I should tell you about texas. Coming from the northeast you'll probably be a little bummed out about the sporting situation. There is GREAT fishing here (i dont fish too much, lol) but the hunting is sad. There is very, very little public land here on which to hunt, or even ride your atv (for that you're kind of restricted to one of very few parks that allow it). Most of the hunting here is kind of what I like to call killing. You just sit in a blind, wait for a big fat animal to come get fatter on some corn under a feeder, and blow it to bits from 75 yards... In our area, thats it I(and expect to shell out for it too). So if you want to go on a real hunt, expect to travel, far.
 
The only thing that I miss from back home is the wilderness. I know In CT, there's endless amounts. Even foxwoods is in the middle of the woods :)... Here there is nothing. No forrest :( just shrubs, and hills out west.
 
We've been down to Austin a handful of times in the past and noticed similar stuff about different neighborhoods, thanks for the heads up, really helpful to have local knowledge ahead of time.

Been out hunting with my father-in-law from Houston and said the same thing to myself. Hunting is a bit different, not bad, just different than the northeast. No where for me to hang my treestands anymore, but I'm looking forward to changing it up a bit. Had the opportunity to hunt in Freer a few years back and experienced south texas bucks first hand, wayyyy different than bowhunting the hardwoods of the northeast!
 
Anyhow one thing I feel I should tell you about Texas. Coming from the northeast you'll probably be a little bummed out about the sporting situation. There is GREAT fishing here (i don't fish too much, lol) but the hunting is sad. There is very, very little public land here on which to hunt, or even ride your atv (for that you're kind of restricted to one of very few parks that allow it). Most of the hunting here is kind of what I like to call killing. You just sit in a blind, wait for a big fat animal to come get fatter on some corn under a feeder, and blow it to bits from 75 yards... In our area, thats it I(and expect to shell out for it too). So if you want to go on a real hunt, expect to travel, far.
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All true, as a Texan(30years)that has been my biggest disappointment, otherwise great state and we must continue the fight to keep Texas red, liberals are fanatical about changing us, we simply cannot allow that.
 
thewho0214 said:
Thanks JumboJimbo, looking forward to getting down to TX!

We'll be somewhere outside of Austin, work is in Austin. I'm not planning on missing the northeast either, it's just gets stranger by the minute up here.
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Welcome to our Great State sir,
I'm sure you will fit in fine here. You will find that Texas is a very big place, and going from one end to the other takes a looooong time. Hope you can make a trip down to my neck of the woods, and visit South Padre Island... good for some great seafood and a nice cold beer. Just avoid the spring break and summer seasons due to the crowds... unless you feel like seeing some knockers, which in that case....

In any case your firearms are welcome here! I took my TX CHL about a year ago and the process was pretty smooth.
 
You do not need to be a resident to apply for a Texas CHL. If I recall correctly, residency used to be a requirement but that was dropped a while back. While I applied for and received mine as a Texas resident, I maintain it as an Alaska resident with no issues.

Texas honors the Utah permit, so you should be ok to carry, even as a resident of Texas. I believe there was some discussion in the previous session of the legislature about changing the requirements so that the Utah permit would no longer be recognized, because there were some legislators that felt the Utah permit was being used to avoid some of the disqualifications in the Texas CHL law, but I do not believe it went anywhere.

Texas DPS maintains a list of reciprocal agreements. http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/RSD/CHL/legal/reciprocity/

Here is the Utah agreement. http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/chl/legal/reciprocity/utahagreement.pdf
 
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texas does have forests and the hills are big enough to be a pain if you are walking around. In the hill country the forest is extremely dense and not really possible to navigate without trails.

The issue is no public lands for hunting, it is all private. You need 50 acres to be able to shoot your gun indiscriminately in populated counties.

I do hunt hogs in a forest near austin and here are some things that are great

1) it is always hog season
2) you can hunt at night
3) you can hunt using night vision/thermal
4) you can use any caliber

In addition you can hunt from helicopters using machine guns..
 
Come on down!
Plus it looks like open carry of a handgun (albeit with a CHL) in a belt or shoulder rig looks like it might finally pass the Texas Legislature. Open carry in Texas has been illegal, except for long guns, since just after the ACW. Ditto for concealed carry until the mid 1990s. It's been a long time coming.
 
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I made the same decision and began the process of moving from Connecticut to Virginia just over a year ago. The house is finished and 90% of my belongings are moved.

If you're driving to Texas, you may want to give a thought to pulling a small uhaul for the items you don't want shipped by the moving company. Put a good heavy duty lock on the door and forget about whatever is inside. I made several trips to Virginia this way, moved my gun safe and a number of firearms and other items I didn't want a moving company to handle.

The notion of New York or New Jersey never concerned me with everything in a locked storage container. Enjoy Texas, you won't miss Connecticut, it's taxes or its liberal agenda. I certainly don't. Lastly, check Texas laws, they may honor your CT CCL permit. I know Virginia has legislation currently being processed that honors out of state CCLs.
 
Welcome!


I moved here 14 years ago......


Great place to be....

Other than THIS year..... the weather is awesome
 
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