Would you temporarily give up your gun rights for a pile of money?

L

leadcounsel

Moderator
At what price would you be willing to give up your gun rights?

So I was thinking that some people, for varied reasons, surrender their gun rights. What $ are your rights worth to you. And before you say "priceless" please read this...

Say you are offered a lucrative job in an anti-gun foreign, or domestic, state or nation where guns are either totally prohibited, or effectively banned. No or few gun options, no concealed carry...

For example, London, NYC, Los Angeles. Let's say it's a high paying CEO job, or a professional athlete, or an actor... Would you take the job, or stay put?
Take the money, perhaps maintain your guns and residence in your pro-gun state for a few years, earn a ton of money and retire or move home? Or turn it down?

Consider those who join the military effectively surrender their gun rights for what is basically a working wage while they serve. No carry on base. Ownership restrictions and registration on base. And often moved to locations where guns are restricted or prohibited.

Finally, consider this: Many people foolishly commit felonies or domestic violence and lose their gun rights. Often these crimes are for almost no money and are in desperation (shoplifting, liquor store holdup, loud arguments with spouse alarming the police, etc.). These folks give up a lot, including gun rights, for trivial reasons.

So how deep are your gun right convictions?
 
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If I found somewhere in the world a perfect plot of land in a perfect country with low crime and no wars somewhere that I knew I could live forever and have everything else I wanted, I would consider it.

I would only hope that country still recognized keeping certain guns at shooting ranges.

If the government was stable, crime rates were exceedingly low, and they didn't involve themselves in wars/didn't show a chance of being involved in a war, I'd risk it if I found a place I considered "perfect" in other ways
 
Under no circumstances will I give up my gun rights. Too many people have died to uphold the constitution and yours and my freedoms. No way no how.
 
Not just no, but, emphatically No!

I am appalled, it seems almost daily, at the disappearance of liberty in the country I love.

Not so much for me as for my grandchildren, who may never know the sweet freedom I enjoyed in my childhood. I hate to think it, but, perhaps it's best they never know what they missed other than the words of their old Papi.

Sometimes it seems the best I can hope for is to slow the slide.

W

Well, since the word "temporarily" has been added...

Just, never mind :o.

I work for the DoD and temporarily give up my firearm(s) every day for a (small) pile of money.
 
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Interesting question.

There's certainly a point where it would be a no-brainer, IMO.

If I made enough to money to have armed guards and/or travel freely such that I could go find places to shoot and/or hunt when and where I wanted, why would I turn down the money?

I mean, right now I have my "rights" but I can't afford to shoot and hunt whenever/wherever I want to so what do I really have?

How much money is that? I don't know. There's certainly a point though.
 
For those saying "no way" did you consider (e.g. read the question) that military members sign away their rights to defend yours? Meaning, they are effectively disarmed on base, travel to/from base, and assignments in anti-gun states, and overseas assignments? And they do it for as low as $25,000 to as high as around $120,000 per year (lowest enlisted to around the highest officer pay for most military members).

Are you saying you wouldn't serve in the military, by default of the question?
 
I think maybe some of the people responding read the title and not the body of the thread?

You wouldn't go live on a sprawling estate in Dubai (where guns are all but banned) with people who take care of your every need? You wouldn't travel the world for a year or longer if you had all the money you needed? You wouldn't join the military and live on base? You wouldn't live Arizona to go work a $10 million/year job in New York or somewhere far more anti-gun like, say, England?

I think that was the intent of the question. There's probably an extreme somewhere where you'd choose to live without your guns. Where is it?
 
I think maybe some of the people responding read the title and not the body of the thread?

You wouldn't go live on a sprawling estate in Dubai (where guns are all but banned) with people who take care of your every need? You wouldn't travel the world for a year or longer if you had all the money you needed? You wouldn't join the military and live on base? You wouldn't live Arizona to go work a $10 million/year job in New York or somewhere far more anti-gun like, say, England?

I think that was the intent of the question. There's probably an extreme somewhere where you'd choose to live without your guns. Where is it?
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Correct!


For me, I have done it for meager officer pay in the military. Effectively disarmed on bases and in transit to/from bases and on temporary duty travel orders for many years. It sucked. And it didn't pay particularly well. I was proud to do it, and looking back the sacrifices I made were worth it.

I would do it again if pressed, but only for the sake of service. Not for the money. And I would not surrender my rights for that meager salary, that's for sure. Only because it came with the job/career.

If it were a flat out lucrative job offer, it would probably need to be 6 figures in todays market. I would need to be able to build/buy a fortress and maintain it in my pro-gun state (that means security, housekeepers, safes, etc) year round while I was out-of-state working. That would cost several hundred thousand annually, plus about a million dollars for the estate.

I'd also need to be able to have a very comfortable lifestyle in my anti-gun location. Probably at least a couple hundred thousand dollars annually.

And I'd want to put enough in the bank to live comfortably for many years for the sacrifices.

So, I'd say my commitment would be short term, and my price would be at least $1 million for a semi-gun control location like California or Massachusetts (some ownership fine, no carry, lots of restrictions, etc.). It would have to be probably at least $1.5 million if I were to live in a relatively safe 1st world anti-gun location like England or Italy or France, etc. And it would need to be exponentially higher (we're talking $5 million annually) if it was a dangerous anti-gun location like Mexico, Brazil, China, S. Africa, etc. to cover the costs of armored vehicles, body guards, etc. and as compensation for the risks involved.
 
Never! I would not give up any rights ever!
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So, folks here with this belief wouldn't sign a 10-year, $500,000,000 contract to pitch for the Yankees (obviously living in NYC for most of the year)? Or take a CEO job in Los Angeles that pays $10,000,000 per year (obviously living in LA)?
 
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I effectively gave up those rights for 30 years with the Air Force, then another seven years traveling to Iraq for the Army.

Now that I'm retired, I own, carry, and shoot guns. Would I give them up now? No! I have no regrets for those years, I was glad to serve. But I feel that now I have earned the right to exercise those rights for the years that are left.

EDIT

After re-reading the title and OP's question, I decided to clarify.

The rights (much more than guns) I gave up were NOT for money. I have looked back and thought about it a lot. I would never have done the things I did for money.

The only answer I have for why I did all those things is "They needed doing".
 
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I have had to think about this before.

If I were offered a world touring spot playing bass in a rock/metal band, I would have to do this. It was my ultimate dream for a while. In most of America, I could either have my gun or at least unload it and lock it in the trunk/van. In other countries, this is not the case.

This is one example where living my life would be worth the couple of months where I would have to be without a firearm.

I think the title of the thread is misleading in this regard because I would never be willing to say "yes, please, vote my rights away" but there are life choices I would willingly make that would mean I would be without my right to own a gun for a while.
 
So, folks here with this belief wouldn't sign a 10-year, $500,000,000 contract to pitch for the Yankees (obviously living in NYC for most of the year)? Or take a CEO job in Los Angeles that pays $10,000,000 per year (obviously living in LA)?
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That's a complete no brainer for me, I'd jump at either opportunity in a heartbeat. No reason I couldn't maintain my residence and firearms here anyway, and in either scenario would allow me to work for a few years and retire comfortably with all the guns and ammo I felt like having, with enough real estate to enjoy them at will. Even if I was contractually required to sell all my current guns I'd jump at it, I can buy more later.

The "never never" folks either aren't thinking it through, didn't read, or aren't being totally honest.
 
Rephrased -- Would you give up your gun rights for 3 years for $30 million?

Which causes me to think of the story where a very rich man offered a woman a million dollars to sleep with him for one night. She agreed. The man then said he would only pay $1,000. The woman angrily stated, "What do you think I am?" And the man replied, "We've already established that. Now, we're just haggling about the price."
 
"If I made enough to money to have armed guards and/or travel freely such that I could go find places to shoot and/or hunt when and where I wanted, why would I turn down the money?"
I agree that "if I could freely/regularly leave to go shooting" would be my contingent reply to the question. Money truly does make (almost) all constraints moot :D. A more interesting question might be "how long could your keep your Xanadu without your 2nd Amendment rights before someone who does have a gun throws you out?" ;)

KyJim, I'm reminded of the bit in the Boondocks about paying the restaurant for a fancy dinner vs. paying the girl :D --"But I'm still paying; and that makes her a ho!"

TCB
 
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