I got notification yesterday I was now being followed on Twitter by
The GunCoin Project.
I've been following some of the Bitcoin ups and downs and arguments, albeit not very closely, and can't claim enough knowledge to weigh in on the replacement privacy currency vs. speculative investment debate, but that's not what concerned me. Understand that terms like "peer-to-peer" and "open source software" make my eyes glaze over. You're dealing with a guy who used to code assembly parts lists on 80-column cards and take them to a department called "Keypunch."
I had a more basic question, because I figure if I'm going to be SMFFs (social media and you figure out the rest) with these folks, I should make sure they're really on the up-and-up from an RKBA point of view. So I emailed them:
Hi, I just got your Twitter follow notice and followed back.
I'd like to know more about the people behind your venture, your pro-gun bonafides, etc.
There's not much in your website's "About" section.
Ditto, whois registry doesn't really tell much.
I think it would serve you well to give Second Amendment supporters
details, as we see stories like the one about the head of the firm that
owns Sportsman Channel and Guns & Ammo magazine being
a big Democrat supporter who believes in gun control, and it's
pretty natural for people to be leery, and even to wonder if some of the
money they spend will end up supporting politicians working against
them.
Care to disclose who you are and what your gun rights backgrounds are?
Here's the response:
Thanks for reaching out to us. I can offer you some more information about us and what we stand for.
My name is [REDACTED] and I am the Guncoin Project Manager. I am a
lifelong Alaskan that has been hunting and shooting all my life. I
believe (as does the team) very strongly in our 2nd Amendment rights.
Honestly, gun control efforts make me sick to my stomach,
and that will never change. We do not currently *support* any political
group monetarily. However, if we were to donate funds or support in
any way for a group, it would definitely be Republican. In fact, we
would be quite interested in mutual support options.
Now, do not get me wrong, I am not *against* the Democratic party. I
agree with both sides on a lot of issues... BUT, our 2nd Amendment
rights trump other issues for me and the only logical choice if I had to
pick to support is Republican.
The Guncoin Project really came about after a lot of dealings with
Payment Processors when trying to sell firearms and firearms related
goods. As you may know, it is just a nightmare dealing with these
companies and trying to get payment processing set
up for a firearms related business. That real need for easy
transactions, coupled with the opportunity to support gun rights in a
public way, led us to create Guncoin.
We have not been very public about our identities because we have
already received a slough of threats and anti-gun nonsense. We have
families just like everyone else and do not need that kind of stress to
deal with. We are just regular guys with regular
lives trying to fill a niche with Guncoin.
I hope I have provided the information you were wanting.
Thank You,
- Guncoin Support
He said I could repro. his email in total. Because of that last bit, I'm not including a name. That said, it seems to me they're at least sincere about the part that concerned me. If you're interested in what they offer and want to find out more on your own, you now have a link.
