[sesamekid]

I am seriously considering a move to the Charlevoix/Petoskey are from Colorado for quality of life reasons.

Gun culture and gun violence are very bad in Colorado and I want to get my children out of that situation.

So please be real honest with me when I ask you to tell me what the gun culture is like in northern Michigan.

Do people open carry? Are there armed guards in schools? Armed teachers? In your day to day life do you fear gun violence?

I understand about hunters carrying guns - I grew up around that. But do soccer moms and realtors walk around packing guns like they do here?

Any insight you could give would be much appreciated!

[michmoldman]

Uh no...Northern Michigan is basically full of hunters. I have absolutely no fear of gun violence here in Northern lower Michigan.

[Luzette]

Plenty of hunting in northern Michigan. I'm sure there are many, many NRA members up here. If you've got soccer moms, realtors and just regular folks walking around packing guns that is unheard of up here as far as I know. There aren't armed guards everywhere either. It's unfortunate that no place in the whole USA can say they are 100% safe from a gun related crime, but it's a very low incidence of this kind of thing away from the bigger cities downstate. If you've got kids growing up in an atmosphere where all people seem to have an interest in are guns then I don't blame you for wanting out. Is all of Colorado like this or are you just in a bad area?

[sesamekid]

Colorado is one of those "wild west" pro-gun states, so yes, it's pretty bad all over Colorado. And most people don't hunt, but want to have an arsenal of guns. Just not my thing. I grew up in Canada where guns were a tool for hunting, period. They weren't coveted and fought over and carried around as a status symbol.

[Omatic]

I don't see anything wrong with being pro-gun. If someone wants to commit a crime, they will find a way to get a gun. I want a gin to protect myself from those people. But anyways, yeah. The U.P is a hunter's paradise. Probably not the place for you.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by Omatic

I don't see anything wrong with being pro-gun. If someone wants to commit a crime, they will find a way to get a gun. I want a gin to protect myself from those people. But anyways, yeah. The U.P is a hunter's paradise. Probably not the place for you.

The op is not asking about the UP. But since you brought it up, the UP.has a lot of open space, only 2percent of the States population and one third land mass. Lots of room for hunters. It's in the lower Michigan where it's more densely populated that too many hunters makes for a bad mix. When I lived in SW Mi. One fall I was standing on my dock and geese were falling from the sky., one landed in my boat at the dock! I called the state police, buckshot we falling on my neibors roof. The trooper told us that the hunters could shoot within 60 feet of ant occupied building......He did spend a long time talking to the duck hunter., blocking off axcess so no one could confront the guys in the boat.....

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

I understand precisely what the OP is describing. I visited a cousin in the south this year who is a gun fetishist as is much of the area around him. He is a doctor that lives in a tony suburb, yet his arms collection would indicate that he's a commando in the middle east. He showed off his collection of assault rifles and handguns the same way he showed off his wine collection or cars -- they were status symbols. Very, very odd.

But as others have mentioned, guns in rural and metropolitan Michigan are viewed as tools. Hunting, target shooting and skeet shooting are a way of life here. However, there is not that undercurrent of gun fetishism that I witnessed in the south. It sounds like Colorado has a similar attitude.

[GIbornNBred]

Im in WA State and yes everyone carries out here and here in Spokane the crime is getting so bad esp when you just had a 82 yr old beat to death in his car everyone has a gun here and it is scary as hell ! I have a friend of mine by TC in michigan that just cannot phathom not only the vilonce here but the drugs and guns.She asked me too come there.So too the OP YES your much better off with your kids in Michigan. If her area wasnt so rural and if I knew making friends there was was easier than here I would consider moving myself.

[Luzette]

Originally Posted by sesamekid

Colorado is one of those "wild west" pro-gun states, so yes, it's pretty bad all over Colorado. And most people don't hunt, but want to have an arsenal of guns. Just not my thing. I grew up in Canada where guns were a tool for hunting, period. They weren't coveted and fought over and carried around as a status symbol.

Canadians have the right attitude about guns as far as I'm concerned, and I wish that here in America we were like you on this issue.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by Luzette

Canadians have the right attitude about guns as far as I'm concerned, and I wish that here in America we were like you on this issue.

Agreed. Not a fan of the taxes or the NHS, but this gun thing in America is completely out of control.

The worst part about it is that so many people in the US are disconnected from the real problem because they either think the government really wants to disarm them, that guns add inches to their junk, they just want to keep playing political football with the issue because that's their agenda to begin with.....or all of the above. Stuff like complaining about background checks......how in the hell does keeping unstable individuals from getting guns violate someone's rights?

As for northern Michigan, no - people do not pack heat in public here. Most who do own guns are very responsible with them from what I've experienced. Michigan hunters in particular are a good group of folks.....very responsible and respectful people 99% of the time.

I would never put my family in a gun crazy atmosphere like Colorado. Seems like a scary place.