Just caused a person to turn down a job offer,,,

Glenn, if the academic market is so horrific, the person might also consider a change of careers, rather than locations.

FWIW, my sister lives in NJ. Staff at Rutgers. She and her husband went through all the nonsense Kentucky-75 described in finding a place. They paid more for their small Cape Cod on .25 acres than my wife and I paid for 4200 sq ft of house on 15 acres with a horse barn.

The flipside for them is, it cost them less than actually living in the boroughs (Brooklyn and Queens) had, when both were working in Manhattan.

From their perspective, NJ is fine.

Then again, they prefer smoking bans and restrictive zoning, too.
 
He will ask each applicant for his school if they own a firearm,,,
I've been told by a member of his administrative staff,,,
No one who has answered yes has ever been hired.
Click to expand...

I know this is the perception of "academia" but it isn't always true.

I went into what was then Rogers State College in Claremore to apply for an Assistant Professorship position back in the mid 90's. I had been teaching as a Graduate Assistant at Oklahoma University while I was in the Doctorate program there in Norman. Then we moved up to the Tulsa area and I started doing the Adjunct Prof thing. Teaching individual American Gov't and American History classes and getting paid a set rate per semester. So when an Assistant Prof position opened up in the department, I applied and they interviewed me.

Most of the other Adjuncts applied as well. I thought I had a bit of an edge academically and anybody with an ego thinks they are the better teacher in a group. The people doing the interview were winding it up and just asking a few general family and "how do you like it around the school" type of questions. The two older guys who would actually make the decision were making some notes. The really grumpy old guy who never really liked me was looking bored and waiting for me to shut up so he could leave. Then a question led me to mention that I was ex-Army. He looked up. What kinds of weapons training? I told him and he was mostly interested in the fact that I had a secondary MOS for Unit Armorer. That's when I remembered our Social Sciences group also had Criminal Justice majors. And the "grumpy old man" (Mr. Kennedy) was in charge of them. They had an indoor 50 foot range where they did pistol training and qualifications.

So Mr. Kennedy asked me if I had ever run any ranges? I told him after I got out of the Active Army, I entered the Active Reserves as a Drill Sergeant and that was part of the job. Lots of ranges. Plus a Unit Armorer had to go to all the ranges and so we were part of admin support. He was happy about that and he was sitting there thinking about it. A few seconds went by. Then a happy thought hit me. "Oh, yeah, and I'm a NRA Certified Instructor for Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun as well." He looked up at me like I had pulled a rabbit out of my butt! A few more seconds went by. Finally he said, "If that's true, you should have a card with you, right?" I told him I thought I did and I pulled out my wallet. (Praying to god that I hadn't taken it out for some stupid reason.) I then passed down my Instructor card that I had earned while I was in the Army and thought it would be fun to take the classes one weekend. And, while I was at it, I passed down my NRA Life Member card at the same time.

He looked at both of them for a minute. Then at me. Then at the other senior member of the interview board. Passed them back. Then the interview was over. And you could tell, it really WAS over. Mr. Kennedy hadn't really cared who they picked to teach American Government and American History. But now they could hire somebody who could also help him to run live fire ranges and to help teach newbies how to shoot. None of the other candidates had said a word about that. It was 100 points for me and 0 for everybody else. They offered me the job that afternoon.

I would probably still be teaching there if the university hadn't dissolved into a power struggle over the Presidency the next year. Sadly my department head was involved and literally the entire department ended up with no contracts afterwards. Whether we cared who was the President or not.

But regardless of that craziness.... the fact is... sometimes being a gun owner can GET you a job not the other way around! I came home that day and told my wife that my NRA Instructor card got the job more than anything else. We laughed about it for years.

Gregg
 
BTW, when I interviewed in TX, two old coots in the department asked what manly things I did. Given I was originally from NYC, they thought I couldn't possibly do TX. In fact, we do get folks like that here.

So I mentioned I shoot a bit. With some bluster, they took me to their lease to shoot. Some other faculty thought I was going along as I was being intimidated and I will get killed.

Haha, don't have stereotyped expectations. But one had a 7.65 Luger and that was a hoot to shoot. Got the job.
 
I grew up in NYC. I remember in the 1950's and 60's travelling to indoor ranges with my cased target rifle (usually w. ammo), and/or going off to the NYC Port Authority terminal to take my gun up to my future wife's home in the Hudson Valley to shoot on their property. In those times, that never got a second look. I knew many people my age who were active shooters, and many who would hunt on L.I. (ducks & geese) and upstate (deer). Later, while I was on AD in Naval aviation I talked to an old classmate, a competition rifle shooter, & gun collector, who told me of the newer NYC and NY state firearms regs. I was astonished and depressed. Have never since lived in NY and have no desire to do more than an occasional visit. It's hard for me to believe that the city & state are safer than they were when I was a resident so long ago.

I have considered firearms ownership as a factor in choosing where I live.
 
I have considered firearms ownership as a factor in choosing where I live.
Click to expand...

It's a consideration for me as well. If I'm offered a job that pays $10M a year...sure I'll move to NYC, I could afford an armed bodyguard and to take weekend trips to places I could go shooting. But that ain't likely to happen anytime soon. :D
It's a hobby that, as I've aged, is more important to me than it was when I was younger. And as I've aged things like nightlife have become less important. So the 22 year old me would have loved NYC's nightlife and probably would have moved there, but 44 year me wouldn't even give it a passing thought. Additionally, many (but not all) of the most heavily 2A restrictive regions can also be the most expensive to live in due to higher taxes and/or cost of living expenses. 2A issues aside that's a major consideration for any move for me...it's one reason why I live in Northern Virgina and not Southern Maryland or Washington DC. My side of the river is cheaper and Virginia being far more 2A friendly than MD or DC is the icing on the cake.
Now I have the luxury of getting to act on these views because I'm employed. If tomorrow I'm out of work and the only place I can get a job is 2A restrictive, I'll take the job and move later when the economy improves.
 
I grew up in NJ and owned lots of guns. You needed to get a firearms I.D. card, then you could buy whatever long guns you wanted. For each handgun, you had to go to the police department and get a permit, but it was no problem. Have things changed beyond that?
Click to expand...

It's far worse then that now... AWB came into effect in the early 90's. Making everything 10x more complicated then it was.

I probably sound like a broken record with this video..but it really does show what things are like here. The New Jersey Second Amendment Society did a good job on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fC2iu3CTPc


It's my personal experiance that 90% of gun owners in free america have no idea aboout the opressions of us in the commie states. I'm a drag racer and car enthiuest by hobby and I travel for races in other states..I've met a lot of friends and good people from elsewhere in the union and they always get very wide eyed when I inform them that I cannot carry a weapon to protect myself and my family.

Their disbelief continues when I tell them about how it takes over a month to buy a handgun and the cost of the permiting process, the facct the any SA gun with over 15 rounds in the mag will land you in jail fast. Same for rifles with more then 1 "evil" feature. These features include a threaded muzzle or flash supressor, pistol grip, collapsable or folding stock, and bayonet lugs (you know to prevent all those drive by stabbings)

I think if people were better educted in the gun laws of other states there would be far more public outcry to change the laws. The constitution just turned 225 years old and yet (with no disrespect intended) here in NJ I might as well wipe my butt with it.
 
Please extend my admiration and deepest respect to your friend. It takes a great deal of courage to give up a tenure track position.

It is also best that he find out now than to be charged and convicted of a felony for having a prohibited firearm. I remember a story of a Marine shooter who left the service and moved to NJ. He had a prohibited weapon and very quickly became a convicted felon due to a traffic stop. His dream of becoming a law enforcement officer was destroyed.

You should be commended for advising your friend about the gun laws and keeping him out of serious trouble.
 
Interesting.

My formerly Japanese wife plans to finish her PhD dissertation in industrial engineering next month and have all else finished early next year. One of her scholarships requires that she teach at the university level for X years.

At this time, she has no intention of applying anywhere she doesn't like the gun laws. (Thank the powers that be.)
 
I see several people in here have opted not to take up a job or residence in an anti-second-amendment state. Enough to be a significant factor? IDK.

Perhaps people in these states need to be made aware that their anti-second-amendment policies are costing them potential taxpayers.
 
^ Unfortunately, yes it is enough to deter some of us to move to such restrictive places as NJ, NYC, CA, or Chicago. I have always wanted to live in NYC, but with their ridiculous nanny laws it is NOT worth it. I can always just visit for vacation, or live in a relaxed border state.

Some of us would not readily give up our freedoms and rights...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top