Have Gun Will Travel

There is quite a discussion going on in the spaced out community about who will have property rights on the moon. If company X crosses the Darkling Sea to get to the Moon and extracts a bunch of ore, and brings it back to earth. Can they legally sell it or claim ownership

Well its pretty simple. If the western nations or any nations attempt to seize it they'll just find a friendly port . . . any number of islands would be more than happy I'm sure to set up operations and not tax the company. So you'd have to shoot them down to stop private enterprises from doing it.

But the money coming in will spur on governments to move out there. The resources alone will be worth it. Expansion and control. Then you'll have 1700's America all over again with colonists, personal, corporate and governments all wrestling one with the other for space and resources. It will come to blows and then the fun begins.

So the debate is moot Mr. Scientist. Just remember this "Have gun, will travel."

post script: and there will be SPACE PIRATES! How awesome is that.