It's obvious you have not lived up north and if you did, you didn't explore the absolute beauty of many of the places. Most northern states have a very distinctive array of seasons... we have the glorious beauty of a spring where the flowers are alive and radiate many colors, we have wonderful summers that aren't so hot you have to hibernate in air conditioning, we have an array of dazzling colors that mark the autumn time and yes a distinctive winter that some may find too cold. But, that winter gives us something very unique, snow to track the deer, what a wonderful blessing. No outdoor activities in the winter... have you heard of skiing, snowboarding, hunting, ice sculpture, snow ball fights, etc. Please don't be ignorant when talking about someone else's home turf and we won't be ignorant toward your area.
Granted you make a point about states like MD, NJ, and NY who have a bad name in trampling 2nd Amendment rights... but ummm, what about PA and VT.... you know VT, the state that has placed NO restrictions on your right to keep and bear firearms; doesn't even offer a permit? Please don't overgeneralize about the north and we won't over generalize about the stereotypical southerner. There are those in the north who got it right and there are those in the south that got it wrong. Shall I mention that I cannot get a permit in your state of SC without first owning a patch of land no matter how small that land might be?
And to show the geographical nonsense of which you speak, I'm going to throw HI and IL in the mix. Hmmm, not northern states either.
It amazes me how many times I read posts in these forums that just want to bash others when, for the most part, these forums are supposed to be a community of like-minded folk.