Kevin Michalowski of USCCA has come up with the idea of stamping dollar bills to let the world know that you’re a responsible gun owner. That’s one way to spread the Second Amendment word to individuals and businesses to let them know we’re out here (and yes, it’s apparently legal). The stamping brainstorm isn’t the first time legal tender’s been used to further the RKBA cause either. Remember the Starbucks two dollar bill campaign? That one didn’t work out quite as well, though the national caffeine dispenser hasn’t banned guns from their stores, no matter what demanding moms may tell you. But it never hurts to let businesses know — in whatever way you can — that there are millions of us, we’ve got money to spend and we’re already their customers. How do you spread the 2A-word?

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43 COMMENTS

  1. Great idea…..if I only carried cash……or had cash. Sighh.

    No anyway that other people can realize that there are responsible gun owners out there is okay with me. Yes, it relays the message to businesses that they could lose money but also tell the other customers that other customers were in here with a gun and you magically survived!

  3. Take ’em to church – i.e., the range. Know somebody who isn’t a shooter, but also isn’t a rabid anti-gun zealot? Offer to take them shooting. Nine times out of ten, you’ll knock a fence-sitter off the fence and on to our side.

    • Preach! So many fence-sitters go to church and look what happens, they want a gun, they might even want several! The Gospel of Four Rules, the Gospel of Pistol, the Gospel of Caliber, the Gospel of 2A and my personal favorite, the Gospel of Boom.

  4. Umm…. that’s defacing currency. Possibly punishable offense because it can render the bill to be “unfit for reissue”.

    • Oh no! Cower and tremble before the almighty lord government who shall smite thee for inking a mustache on GW!
      Or, defacing without intent to defraud is not a crime.
      Either way the concern is ridiculous.

    • If a note is “decorated” with a motto, it does not necessarily mean that it’s defaced within the meaning of 18 USC 333. “Unfit for reissue” is actually a very high bar. It means that the note can’t even circulate. Did you ever write something on a dollar bill? Yes, probably. Did it render the bill unfit? No.

      Also, the element of “intent” is required for a violation of this law. When the note is stamped with a motto, the intent is for the bill to circulate to get the word out, not to render the bill unfit. In fact, rendering the bill unfit would mean that the message won’t get out there, which is the opposite of what the “stamper” intends.

      There doesn’t appear to be any case law on this specific issue. It seems like a motto would be okay (the First Amendment is certainly implicated here), except for a motto that forces the money out of circulation for some reason, such as obscuring important details of the note.

      • I actually kind of like this idea. But 1. I’d rather not be the target of some overzealous Treasury Agent seeking to make a name for themselves, and 2. as an immigrant who appreciates every dollar I earn, I have this weird thing about respecting the currency – even if it is just fiat currency. It’s my own idiosyncratic expression of national pride.

  5. Actually I would see this being a negative. Cash is in constant circulation, and the stamped bills will be handed out as change to non gun owners. 60% of them could care less, another 30% will be annoyed but won’t say anything. I am more worried about that 10% that will be vocal and complain to the stores that they don’t want bills that have been stamped, causing a headache for the cashiers and store owners. Remember about 50% of the population really doesn’t care either way and just doesn’t want any headaches, dragging them into this battle unwillingly will cause more harm than good I believe.

    • Remebert those 10% are going to complain anyways. If the clerk is smart they would force the person to take it- it is legal tender. I remember a guy calling the police department on a gas station because he wanted to pay for his carton of smokes with pennies and the cashier refused to sell. Cop responding called the prosecutor and got off the phone and said “it’s legal tender you either take it or you close down for the night!”

  6. The way most normal people do – casual conversation. Always invite to the range though after you get an idea of who you’re dealing with.

  7. Wives, sisters, girlfriends, moms, grandmothers, any of the female gender should be encouraged to open carry where legal for handguns. It’s all about perception.

  9. I really like this idea! How do I?

    1. Online, like this, with links back to TTAG or elsewhere in my comments in forums on articles that are timely.
    I hate hate hate FAKEbook and the like for privacy reasons, but I see the utility, so I set up a dummy account for places that require fakebook logins to comment.

    2. Emails to friends and family. One half of the family is liberal, to the point I stopped talking politics or guns. But the time will come…and I am ready to take their kids to the range.

  10. The absolute best way is to open carry in tactical gear an AR-15 in every store you can, and be at the low ready. Make sure you have at least 6 additional spare “high capacity clips” on your tactical MOLLE gear. Complete the look with a ballistic helmet. People will get used to it. They will eventually cave. It will become the norm!

    • Be sure to be obnoxiously and tiresomely confrontational with any and all who would dare question you about your choice of attire, as well.

  11. Wearing a blaze orange “Guns Save Lives” ball cap that I purchased from Virginia Citizens Defense League.

    It’s a great conversation starter.

    Made a point of wearing it after Newtown. I was pleasantly surprised how many people in my politically purple neck of the woods gave me kudos for wearing it.

  12. Screw the antis, the fence-sitters and the Fudds. Find people who are curious and still forming an opinion, give them some safety training at the coffee table to bolster their confidence, let them handle guns for the first time in their lives to see that they don’t bite, and then take ’em to the range.

    When it comes to young men and women of all ages who see the light, the more the better.

    • @Ralph said: Screw the antis, the fence-sitters and the Fudds

      As a former fence-sitter, I vehemently disagree with your suggestion.

      That kind of closed-mindedness simply limits options and the available pool of people you can influence.

      We’re selling the 2nd Amendment. Sales is a numbers game.

      You’re not going to make as many sales if you limit yourself to only those who are curious about your product.

      ——-

      By the way, before I was a fence-sitter I was an anti (due to media exposure in the Leftist city I was raised in).

      Not a virulent anti campaigner. But I bought into their thinking that nobody but police should have handguns.

      • Good for you. I’m glad you joined us. But one case (yours) proves absolutely nothing. You said so yourself — it’s a numbers game. Your number is one.

        When I was an almost every-day fisherman, I learned that in order to catch fish, you have to go where the fish are. Pulling a single fish from an unlikely spot means nothing compared to fishing in a large, potentially receptive pool.

        I stand by my previous comment.

  13. I like the stamp idea. But can you make the stamp to be printed in a mirror-image? That way the ink can rub off onto sweaty stripper thighs to say “responsible gun owner.”

    Other than that, I just enjoy taking ladies shooting for the first time.

  14. I know a guy who puts little stickers on all his checks:
    “Paid by union wages.”

    I suppose we could order checks with a big AR-15 graphic on them. But it doesn’t matter if you pay with cash or check. The people who handle the money are not the people who make the policy decisions.

  15. Teaching people is great. For the real fence sitters, or even friends of mine that were previously afraid of all guns themselves, realistic pellet guns were the answer. A few shots at some cans with a “high powered” pellet rifle, or one of my blowback pistols modeled after the real thing, and they realize how fun shooting is. When I tell them the real ones are Scientifically Proven™ to be 3X the fun, they can’t wait to come out to the range. The pellet guns are great, because you can still teach the 4 rules yet the padowan feels less pressure. That’s just one effective way I’ve got a few to see the light, even some from the Whole Foods crowd…

  16. I like the idea except for the fact that the CEOs and people that make decisions at these companies will never see them. It’s not like Uncle Scrooge is back there counting his duckets shocked to see that there are so many gun owners out there spending money. It usually gets counted and deposited by the night shift manager who has no say in policy what so ever.

    That said, I will be doing this just for the fact that at some point some anti-gun advocate is going to have to choose between spending that dollar that she got as change or destroying it. Either way it’s a win and funny to me.

    • Actually it’s better if they never notice these because then weird store policies over marked money won’t come to fruition.
      The whole idea is for people who have never though about guns in their life to realize that tons of people enjoy shooting, even if they haven’t talked to anyone about it.

  18. wait until a Hoplophobe gets mugged, assaulted, and/or become a victim of govt terrorist thuggery, or worse, then wait for them to organically grow some common sense…

    xD

  19. What do I do to spread the gospel?
    (1) I comment on this blog.
    (2) I talk to family, neighbors, and friends.
    (3) I take newbies to the range.
    (4) I comment on news stories that allow comments.
    (5) I attend political rallies in my state and carry signs with facts.

    • I also do 1 thru 4, plus I wear my NRA hat most places, but do them somewhat cautiously as I live in PA, but quite near the NJ border. Lots of transplants here from NJ and NY, some of whom go into spastic, possibly violent fits at the mere thought of a firearm in private hands. And I work in NJ where coming across too strong in the wrong place can get a person a seat in the back of a patrol car.

  20. this may be the most pertinent question i have ever seen on this website and probably the most difficult to answer.
    My opinion is: go to places and talk to people that are ANTI-gun. if you can change just one mind, that is a win. preaching to the choir does NOT further the movement.
    My mother was all for the AWB and Mag capacity limits until i really broke it down for her. I think she is still for the mag capacity limitation but no longer has a petrifying fear of guns. Only reasonable, sound discussions can change that. And of course, not everyone is open to change so some are just lost causes bound by fear and emotions.

  23. I was previously a booth coordinator for Calguns.net at the Del Mar gunshow. I now volunteer for the California Rifle and Pistol Association booth at Del Mar.

    You will be amazed at what I hear there from POTG!

  24. This stamp has been available for some time, when first noticed on an Ammoland article some time back it was available for under 10 bucks, free shipping included. From what I HEAR-when people receiving stamped currency notice it, a conversation is sparked, more often than not from a positive point of view, allowing a firearm owner/enthusiast to spread the good word-from what I understand. The stamper is self inking and not messy and capable of stamping hundreds of bills before requiring fresh ink, as I have been informed. This is a fantastic way to spread the message every time one spends paper money, as well as on ANY other paper-letters, business cards and flyers, from what I have seen. Seems like a great idea……….just sayin’………..

  25. best way to spread the gospel?

    conversion.

    take a newbie to the range. many of them feel powerless when they think about guns, and are intimidated by what they don’t understand.

    familiarity overcomes fear, and makes them feel empowered.

    as for businesses, sending an email or letter is 10,000x more effective than stamping money with slogans.

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