Not necessarily. In LA you have to inform the police you are carrying and surrender it on demand during contact. NOLA used to have a practice of keeping those guns unless the carrier provided "proof of ownership." They also have binding signage, you can't carry in a bar. Carry is prohibited in any law enforcement building or facility, jail or prison, courthouse (like MA), polling place (like MA), any government meeting such as school committee, city council, etc., the state capitol (like MA), any house of worship without permission, any parade or demonstration for which a permit is issued, any liquor store, or any school (like MA) or school bus.
Not being able to carry in a building that has a courthouse, even if it only takes up part of a building, is typical in southern states. In Alabama you can't carry in a courthouse annex even if your business is in any other part of the building. Not being able to carry in a police or sheriff facility is the norm in the south.
The big advantages in most of the south over MA are reciprocity and ease of obtaining a license. Some states require a course, most don't.
Oh the really big difference is how you're likely to be treated if you have to use a firearm in self defense. Provided you don't give the DA all the evidence he needs to convict you, there's a really good chance you'll be no billed by the Grand Jury.