I'm not bashing your state or anything, but aren't you a bit restricted when it come to buying stuff to compete in 3gun, or even in limited for that matter.
You can get anything you need here. You just have to jump through some hoops. Granted it's a little tricky getting an STI here, but it can be done--legally.
I was commenting more on the weather than anything else in my original post. It's just not too cold and not too hot here most of the time. I love shooting in AZ, but, ouch, it gets hot in the spring and summer and early fall.
PS: you can bash my state if you want. We have a friken movie star for a governor. I'm sure we are a joke to other states.