Thank You — 40,000 Members Strong

[Hit Factor]

I think it’s contradictory if you say you want 2A to be more generally accepted but gatekeep based on political party.

It has nothing to do with gatekeeping. If one political party supports expanding gun rights and one political party actively wants to further restrict gun rights and you really want to support and defend a constitutional amendment that guarantees the right of the people to keep and bear arms without governmental infringement, which party are you going to support?

 

[Striker777]

40,000

 

[ikeo1]

It has nothing to do with gatekeeping. If one political party supports expanding gun rights and one political party actively wants to further restrict gun rights and you really want to support and defend a constitutional amendment that guarantees the right of the people to keep and bear arms without governmental infringement, which party are you going to support?

People are usually more than a single issue voter. Plus the more they get impacted the likeliness they’ll start to change who they choose, and it is gatekeeping if you’re saying they’re not part of a community because of an outside factor.

So if they don’t support the party you prescribe, then they shouldn’t be allowed in the 2A community? If so, that’s gatekeeping. IMO we need to expose people to a wider view. If you want to see what happens to narrow minded, there’s a site that will show what happens. There’s a reason both Reddit and here do well. Before you say it’s because of performance, Reddit r/CAguns was founded in 2014 and has 110k ish. There’s lessons if you do a case study on 2A sites. It’s wasn’t just the availability.

 

[1911-CV]

Political reality in California says we need democrats to tell their leadership that gun laws have gone too far, and the democratic leadership needs to find some other target for their attention.

 

[Hit Factor]

Political reality in California says we need democrats to tell their leadership that gun laws have gone too far, and the democratic leadership needs to find some other target for their attention.

Okay, this is something I agree with. Is this happening? Around here, I haven’t seen much evidence of this. The Democrats will only change their platform if the members of their party demand it. Defending the status quo within the Democrat Party does not help gun rights in California. Let’s see Democrat gun owners who claim to support the 2nd Amendment start demanding change within their own party on this issue.

 

[Hit Factor]

People are usually more than a single issue voter. Plus the more they get impacted the likeliness they’ll start to change who they choose, and it is gatekeeping if you’re saying they’re not part of a community because of an outside factor.

So if they don’t support the party you prescribe, then they shouldn’t be allowed in the 2A community? If so, that’s gatekeeping. IMO we need to expose people to a wider view. If you want to see what happens to narrow minded, there’s a site that will show what happens. There’s a reason both Reddit and here do well. Before you say it’s because of performance, Reddit r/CAguns was founded in 2014 and has 110k ish. There’s lessons if you do a case study on 2A sites. It’s wasn’t just the availability.

Again, I think you’re trying to use “gun owners” and “2A community” interchangeably. Read the 2nd Amendment. Then read the Democrat Party platform on gun control. Supporting a gun control political platform is in direct opposition to the guarantees enshrined in the 2nd Amendment. Calling a gun owner who votes for gun control a “2A” supporter is disingenuous. It’s like the old Turkish proverb, “The forest was shrinking, but the trees kept voting for the axe because its handle was made of wood and they thought it was one of them.” People who vote for gun control are not 2nd Amendment supporters just because they own a gun, just as an axe is not a tree just because it has a wooden handle.

 

[HarleyLowRiderST]

Congrat @ikeo1 on a well run site. Very few bugs, site works every day, great classified section and discussion forums.

Like any of the dozen forums I am on, you get a cross section of members with differing upbringings, political views, and values. Each of us has to prioritize everything in life. Faith and Family followed by everything else.

On to the next milesone 100K members!

 

[Plenty_Pack_556]

Temporary Gun Owners exists and they are in no way in helping the 2A community.

 

[JreeX]

No no no, thank YOU sir!!!

 

[DJD100]

Thank you ikeo1, much appreciated!

 

[ikeo1]

Again, I think you’re trying to use “gun owners” and “2A community” interchangeably. Read the 2nd Amendment. Then read the Democrat Party platform on gun control. Supporting a gun control political platform is in direct opposition to the guarantees enshrined in the 2nd Amendment. Calling a gun owner who votes for gun control a “2A” supporter is disingenuous. It’s like the old Turkish proverb, “The forest was shrinking, but the trees kept voting for the axe because its handle was made of wood and they thought it was one of them.” People who vote for gun control are not 2nd Amendment supporters just because they own a gun, just as an axe is not a tree just because it has a wooden handle.

Okay, this is something I agree with. Is this happening? Around here, I haven’t seen much evidence of this. The Democrats will only change their platform if the members of their party demand it. Defending the status quo within the Democrat Party does not help gun rights in California. Let’s see Democrat gun owners who claim to support the 2nd Amendment start demanding change within their own party on this issue.

How do you expect to initiate the change if you deliberately and intentionally segregate them? Gun owners become 2A supporters by owning a firearm as the first step. What do you think we do here and exposing people to the CRPA, professionals, manufacturers with different AMA’s. It’s a journey to initiate change and change itself takes time. What we do is grassroots from literally 1 to 40,000 in two years and consistently bringing in people to help neutralize stigma.

I would really like to see the people who claim 2A support who say we’re fake or liberals what they do other than just claim they support while claiming other people don’t.

You know there’s a group that think because YOU use this site, you must be a liberal and anti-2a by merely participating here. There’s different levels fanaticism. The whole point here is to open the community so they can take the steps to get to where we’d like. Anecdotally I’m seeing the change, admittedly it’s slow but I tend to think it’s long lasting and it radiates to their friends and families.

There is an explosion of participation. I think you can see it happening since you compete. You can see all the younger people. When you converse with them the last thing I bring up is who they voted for. Instead I discuss the difficulties we have to navigate because of the laws we have. Take the judgement away and acknowledge the pain point where they can recognize it is a better way to influence e people vs direct confrontation.

 

[Hit Factor]

You know there’s a group that think because YOU use this site, you must be a liberal and anti-2a by merely participating here.

I stopped caring what other people think of me back in high school.

But to be honest, I had to start ignoring some people in order to stay here. This place gets far more bearable when you filter out the left wing zealots. Probably the same way Calguns would become more bearable for you if you filtered out the right wing zealots. It’s amazing how good a gun forum can be when you mostly just see people talking about guns, gun rights, and the shooting sports in general.

 

[HarleyLowRiderST]

I stopped caring what other people think of me back in high school.

But to be honest, I had to start ignoring some people in order to stay here. This place gets far more bearable when you filter out the left wing zealots. Probably the same way Calguns would become more bearable for you if you filtered out the right wing zealots. It’s amazing how good a gun forum can be when you mostly just see people talking about guns, gun rights, and the shooting sports in general.

Very well said @Hit Factor . . .

 

[Tere_Hanges]

But to be honest, I had to start ignoring some people in order to stay here. This place gets far more bearable when you filter out the left wing zealots. Probably the same way Calguns would become more bearable for you if you filtered out the right wing zealots. It’s amazing how good a gun forum can be when you mostly just see people talking about guns, gun rights, and the shooting sports in general.

Thats so funny, I did the same thing here and at CGN. Ignore both sides of the same turd.

 

[shroom]

Thank you for creating a site that actually works outside of the hours of 10pm-7am, and for being open to feedback in making it better.

 

[john_marsten_1873]

Thanks to you and the team @ikeo1!

Also thanks for always looking to improve this site as a firearms community resource, despite all crying, b******g and constant attempts by people to turn this place into Facebook or Reddit!

 

[mblat1968]

I have no idea why this is important at all but IMHO this site (meaning it's admins and moderators) is clearly to the left of calguns.
And I don't care. It works. It would not exist if calguns would work.

So anybody who comes here and gives crap about it..... Your problem is not here. It is with pathetic situation with calguns


EDIT. Thank you for creating something useful for so many people. Not too many people can claim that.

 

[Experimentalist]

I for one am grateful for this site. Thank you Ikeo1 and others I don't know the names of, for your hard work in bringing this all together.

Each of you is appreciated.

Now... When is the next match?

 

[Vino68]

I am thankful for the site being in existence. I loved Cal Guns, sadly it is basically non functional. And I appreciate the ability to link our old Cal Guns ratings over here! Thank you and keep up the great work!

 

[Gryff]

You're doing a great job with the site, ikeo. Thank you for creating this community.