Evan Nappen's Article in BLADE Magazine

Don't Step On the Porcupine Knife!

Evan Nappen's article about the FSP Buck Knife appears in the April 2007 issue of BLADE Magazine! The article is not available on line, but the publisher has provided us with the magazine pages in PDF format.

FSP offers safe haven for SF gun owners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Free State Project offers safe haven for San Francisco gun owners

San Francisco, CA – Feb. 12, 2006 – San Francisco handgun owners who are unwilling to comply with the city's new gun ban and confiscation that goes into effect over the next two months have at least one promising alternative: Join the hundreds of other Californians who have signed up for the Free State Project and are moving to New Hampshire.

The Free State Project is a grassroots movement that seeks to attract 20,000 people who fervently believe in limited government to move to New Hampshire, where individuals and businesses can flourish in a low regulation, low-tax, small government state.

Gun laws in New Hampshire were a key reason for its selection as the Free State. Any resident without a criminal record can openly carry firearms, and permits for concealed carrying are available to any resident passing a background check. New Hampshire is ranked as having the fourth lowest violent crime rate in America, as opposed to California's ranking as 41st, despite California's numerous gun control measures. (2005 rankings, based on "Crime in the United States: 2004," the FBI).

Almost 10 percent of the project's participants are from California. Many are leaving to escape the state's excessive regulation and taxation. Some are leaving especially because of the repressive gun laws.

"Whether or not the court challenge on February 15 to the Measure H gun ban is successful, I want to live someplace where my neighbors value tolerance, freedom and personal responsibility," said Morey Straus, an active participant of the Free State Project currently living in San Francisco. "California seems to be in a downward spiral toward a police state."

Sandy Pierre, who left the Bay Area for New Hampshire last spring, agreed. "A group of my girlfriends and I are going to take a firearms safety class together in a couple of weeks. Here in New Hampshire, it's not considered dangerous or wrong to be capable of taking care of yourself."

San Francisco voters approved the controversial gun control measure in November by 58%. In addition to restricting handgun possession to law enforcement and corporations, it also prohibits the sale of all firearms and ammunition within city limits. Several civil liberties groups have banded together to challenge the measure in court on February 15 on grounds that it is unconstitutional. If those efforts fail, the sales portion of the ban will go into effect on March 1, and residents will be required to turn their handguns over to the authorities by April.

While the Free State Project has no official agenda other than encouraging citizens who believe in individual liberty and personal responsibility to move to New Hampshire, participants are expected to work toward reducing government in the areas most important to them.

Since the Project's inception in late 2001, nearly 7,000 have signed the statement of intent to move to New Hampshire, and an estimated 400 participants are already there.

Other issues being championed by individual activists include lowering taxes, decriminalizing marijuana, fighting the exploitation of eminent domain by private interests, and repealing government regulation of marriage between adults.

More information about the Free State Project can be found at www.FreeStateProject.org.

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