Bitcoiners have been saying this for a while. The firearms community needs to adopt bitcoin before they have no other options. Few have headed this advice. I went to YouTube today a saw a video from a very popular firearms training channel called Hickok45. The released a video titled Bad News - YouTube where they let their subscribers know about the uncertainty of their future due to YouTube's new policy banning firearms advertising.
YouTube is of course within their rights to do this but that's not a solution to the problem. The problem goes deeper. Credit card processors and companies as well as banks have and could increase their censorship of firearms purchases. Bitcoin fixes this.
As far as the video hosting problem there are other platforms that will likely open their doors to these trainers and educators but that isn't good enough. Nostr is new but I see it as the most hopeful solution coupled with bitcoin over lightning. Over the past week I've been experimenting with satellite.earth CDN file hosting service. I've been pretty impressed by it. Its very new but it seems like a real solution to the file hosting centralization problem for Nostr.
I've tried in the past to make the case for bitcoin to gun owners and few seem to see the problem. I think this is largely due to their faulty belief in the state. There are some companies that have adopted bitcoin. The only one that I'm aware of is Fenix Ammunition. Anyone aware of others?
268 sats \ 3 replies \ @Wumbo 18 Jul
App he mentioned: https://grayjay.app/ I have not used it. It would seem nostr could do a similar "let you follow the creator" ability even better
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Grayjay is very good. What it needs now is a desktop version (I watch more on my computer that my phone) and profile sync between devices.
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OK, I had to stop the video and come back and zap you @Wumbo. The frig smell bit is dead on.
I remember an old interview with the then head of YT talking about the radical content creators like Ben Shapiro lol.
I've always found what these people find radical hilarious. Shapiro is a lot of things. He's not a radical.
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I agree with you on Nostr. One issue YouTube people will hit though is video file hosting. I think Satellite is a good option.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think some of the issue is that there's a strong tie to gold-bug and prepper communities. Some of the people I know are really drawn to extreme localism as a retreat position.
There seems to be something in the psychology that wants to look for defensive positions rather than opportunities to prosper. Have you noticed anything similar?
Edit: I don't think those things are necessarily bad, or even at odds with bitcoin. They just seem to be separate groups.
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Yes, I think you are at least partially right.
There is also a level of techno-phobia. I live in a rural conservative area with many pickup trucks, gun owners, and people that work with their hands. Many do not trust people that work in tech... I understand that.
I would say there aren't a ton of preppers. They are just very conservative (not politically alone) and it all sounds like something they shouldn't care about.
I think this is changing as those folks age out and more tech savvy firearms folks come into the community. And it really is a community. When you visit a gun club you see a different side of gun culture, one that isn't seen by the masses.
To me, the larger issue is apathy and the idea that voting and advocacy by the likes of the NRA are the answer. Again, I think this is slowly getting weaker but it is still strong. Essentially far to many don't get how powerful the companies are that control their access to money. That part is ignorance.
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It probably is somewhat generational. In the mountain west states, that code more libertarian than conservative, bitcoin started catching on when marijuana was legalized. I noticed lots of Gen X'ers got into that business and used bitcoin because they didn't have access to banks. These aren't necessarily "gun people", but most are armed and care about their right to defense.
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I'm generalizing as well of course. People's eyes gloss over when you start talking about technical things. Don't even think about talking about economics and the Fed.
But this is a group that would value censorship resistance
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I think so, too, especially as people start losing access to their finances.
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68 sats \ 2 replies \ @21_ 18 Jul
I'm going to write a short article about this in my magazine, i hope you don't mind. I think these conversations are important to have, especially with gun control being a hot topic in the US, trump just getting shot and Bitcoin being an option! Let me know if you want to chat more here sean@bitesizebitcoin.xyz or read the article here: www.bitesizebitcoin.xyz when I release it on 5th August. :)
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Trump gets shot but doesn't support gun control His supporters dont support gun control
People who want to kill him support gun control to disarm their opponents
Venezuela has strict gun control; one of Chavez first actions was to disarm the citizenry
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Yeah, its an interesting topic for sure. I think there is a lot of alignment.
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I'm still surprised with all the censorship we see on Youtube, how this is STILL where all the majority of content creation is... What a moat and strong network effects they have.
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YouTube is of course within their rights to do this but that's not a solution to the problem.
This.
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I added this because so many supposed champions of liberty think that means the state forcing private entities to do what they want.
If we want to live in a truly free society we need to defend the freedoms of those doing things we disagree with as well as those we agree with.
If people don't like what YouTube is doing they should vote with their feet. Start supporting alternatives. Start using alternatives. We need to focus on actual solutions, not all this tit for tat stuff.
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I fully agree. The cognitive dissonance of said champions of liberty is something quite striking. I for one am against firearms, but that doesn't mean one should not be able to express their pro-gun stance.
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I appreciate that. I would love to see a world without violence. Often when guns is the topic or there is some violent act the weapon becomes the focus. Yet, there is another side to this. When guns are banned those that are smaller, weaker, or older made more vulnerable to the evil and strong. Firearms are an equalizer. We all have a right to defend ourselves from violence. There is no nation that has zero arms. No nation is free of violence. If good people can't defend themselves they will become victims of the more violent in society. This includes the state.
The invention of the firearm is often overlooked as a key factor in the leveling of the playing field of politics. Knights in Europe were very difficult to fight. The invention of the firearm had a dramatic effect on the balance of power. Suddenly the powerful were forced to take more consideration of the plebs.
It bothers me on a deep level when I hear people decry the right of people to defend themselves and their families. Most people in the US that I encounter who are opposed to the right of self defense seem to support the government and police using arms to commit violence. They aren't opposed to war. Laws do not prevent criminals from obtaining arms. They prevent good people from being able to defend themselves.
All that said, we have deep cultural problems that have led to the violence on our streets. Removing the right of people to defend themselves will not solve this problem.
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Thank you for laying out your thoughts. I'd be happy to discuss all of this one day in person. As an outsider to the US, living in a gun-free country, there are many nuances that are hard to grasp.
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For sure. Cultural difference as well. You say you live in a gun-free country... does that include the police and military? Are there no criminals? Call be skeptical. Or by that do you mean that private gun ownership is not allowed?
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https://dirtybirdusa.com/ also accepts Bitcoin
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Another tip for Bitcoiners looking to reach gun owners is to focus on the more based org Gun Owners of America. Unlike the NRA they seem to be more focused on liberty and sovereignty vs the NRA's bloated org that has a history of compromising on these principles.
They should start accepting bitcoin before their bank cuts them off.
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Totally forgot about the Guns and Bitcoin Conference
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Good morning Have a great day ❤️
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Interesting perspective. I’ve never thought of connecting the two but I think you may be on to something. Let’s see what plays out!
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stackers have outlawed this. turn on wild west mode in your /settings to see outlawed content.