I was truely amazed...

[CajunBlazer]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by petronius (a host of the General Discussion forum).

... after I published my post, "My Case Against Assault Weapons" there were suddenly a large number of pro gun posters who appeared like magic on this site to contest my views. Does Wayne LaPierre have watchdogs on forums like this one to detect posts by people who favor government regulation of firearms? Does he send out emails immediately to his gun toting followers with orders to attack those posts and/or or their posters?

I was also disappointed by the lack of verbal support by those who I know agree with me. Sure the post drew a number of recommendations, but there was little verbal input. We can't win the debate if we don't join it. We are letting these people seize the moral high ground, which they have not right to possess, because we cannot argue with them technically. Well it's time we learned. We cannot expect to win the issue when we don't know enough about it to join and win the national debate.

[Electric Monk]

1. After awhile you'll notice that many of our resident gunthusiasts only post about guns. That's all.

[villager]

6. They are the exact ethical/moral equivalent of climate deniers

They swarm such threads, because even to acknowledge the "other side" at all allows an impermissible crack in their psyches, and their world view.

And since those psyches are wedded to the external "self soothing" implement of The Gun, their only recourse is to deny (and ridicule and disparage) regardless of any evidence, or actual events, unfolding around them.

[Electric Monk]

10. One of the regulars who is currently on timeout again just sent me a PM about this thread

so their "bat-signal" has likely been deployed, as well.

What kind of loser gets locked out of a forum for being rude and sticks around just to send snarky insulting PMs? Talk about being obsessed about a subject. I'm tempted to alert on that, too.

[villager]

11. You probably should -- it's a sign of the stalking behavior that typifies them

It is kind of weird and sad and not surprising that they do that....

[MohRokTah]

2. IBTL

[djean111]

3. Don't know about guns, but any post against the TPP or Monsanto is swarmed immediately.

Yes, there are watchdogs all over the internet. After they swarm with the same thing, every time, they are quite easily ignored.

[Cleita]

5. Really, Monsanto? I guess I've been MIA on those threads. I think I'm going to have

to put up some anti-GMO threads of my own to see what I attract. I live in an agricultural area and I know a group of people who are gathering up a lot information about Monsanto and many of the other big Agro polluters. It's not pretty.

[orpupilofnature57]

8. Talk about a certain Canidate and see what happens .

[Cleita]

4. They do have some kind of system for zeroing on anti-gun posts.

Over the years, even before I came on DU, I noticed certain posters, many who used the same or similar names descended on forums where gun control was being discussed, even here in the early days of DU. Although most of them have disappeared since the gungeon was instituted, I'm not surprised that this happens. It could be the NRA does keep a boiler room type of gun activists lurking at various sites where they zoom in when the discussion comes up. I've also noticed it on other hot button issues in the past, where suddenly a swarm of posters arrive with their bullet points all tied up in a neat bag from whatever think tank is supplying them, maybe even employing them to turn the conversation.

[orpupilofnature57]

7. Wait a minute, the people that are Gun advocates HERE usually back up what they say,

I've been arguing /debating with them for over 10 yrs, have been banned for 48 hrs twice for getting a little too ugly, and they were right for doing it, I was off topic and over the top . Though I Will never own a gun the thought of the police , military and criminals being the only ones with guns petrifies me .

[hunter]

9. Not GD. As simple as that. Gun posts are disruptive. So are "meta" posts like this one.

It will be justifiably locked.

[Mojorabbit]

12. A good portion of DUers are gun owners if past polls are correct. nt

[SheilaT]

13. I frequently express my oddly unpopular opinion

that guns should be confiscated.

Almost always, my posts are quickly challenged by the oh-so-sensible gun owners here who would NEVER leave a gun where it might be found by a child or thief, and think that just because our gun homicides are declining (big whoop) that I should reread their version of the Second Amendment and mend my own ways. And if I bring up Australia, they somehow manage to make it sound as if that confiscation (I suppose it was really more of a voluntary gun surrender) simply didn't accomplish anything. I guess the absence of mass murder by guns is a void they cannot recognize.

[seveneyes]

14. Stoned and alone

[aikoaiko]

15. We're funny about protecting civil liberties and things like that.

[Skittles]

16. they are cowards, absolute fucking COWARDS

FUCK THEM ALL

[aikoaiko]

17. Who are you calling fucking cowards?

[petronius]

18. Locking. Host consensus is that this thread does not fit the Statement of Purpose

for the General Discussion forum, which excludes posts about guns as well as disruptive meta-discussion (specifically, "threads complaining about Democratic Underground or its members&quot . See this post for details.

Firearms-related discussion, including discussion of the debate itself, may be posted in one of the two DU groups specified for 'gun' topics:

Gun Control & RKBA

Gun Control Reform Activism