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Topic ClosedGuns as a 'Verboten' Subject

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Happy Tripping View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Guns as a 'Verboten' Subject
    Posted: 11 Feb 2018 at 9:00am
Techntrek -"There have been several reminders over the years about keeping discussions about religion, politics, and guns off of this forum.... any time they are brought up on forums like this the discussions quickly escalate to shouting matches and hurt feelings." 

With very good reason, discussions about religion, politics and guns are not allowed on this forum. I support this limitation wholeheartedly.

However, a recent post specifically asking a question about how to carry a gun while R-Podding was struck down by the moderator. I feel that this decision was arbitrary and wrong.

As an example, if you look behind the cupboards and walls of an R-Pod, you will see many wonderful spots to hide a purse, a set of keys or (gasp) a gun. It is obviously appropriate to announce to our community a really super place to hide a cell phone, so that all of us can benefit. I feel that it should also be obvious that there is nothing intrinsically controversial about recommending the place as also being useful to hide a purse or a gun. A gun as a physical object is merely a tool, like a cell phone or an knife.

I doubt if any of us feel it's inappropriate for one of our community to ask for the best way to get to an interesting Buddhist temple from town 'X', although Buddhism is certainly a religion. The reason is that it is a factual question not relating at all to religious belief. Similarly, I believe that there is nothing inherently wrong about asking for our communities' help in the factual issue - How to avoid the legal pitfalls of carrying a gun. I agree that other forums would have people expert in this subject and perhaps better able to answer the question, but that is not the issue here.

Please note, I am not advocating that discussions of religion, politics or guns should be permitted here. I am merely pointing out that blanket prohibitions of all matters relating to these subjects is arbitrary and wrong.

"There comes a time in the affairs of a man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation" - W.C. Fields
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2018 at 9:34am
Though you make a compelling argument Happy, the problem is that the moderators then are put in the position of deciding all the gray area cases, whether religion, guns, porn, drugs. politics, etc.  Yes a blanket ban is probably overkill, but it works well and has avoided many conflicts.  I moderated a board once and it is a task filled with lots of work and little compensation except the satisfaction that the board is serving the "community" that it seeks to serve.  

Yes, Hiding places in the pod can be thoroughly explored on the forum, whether for purses, cell phones, diamonds, or what ever else one wants to conceal.  But it is probably not a good idea to devote topics to where the best place to hide your dope, your porn, moonshine, or your array of firearms.  It sets a tone that suggests that all these topics are just fine to discuss in detail, putting the moderators in an impossible position of trying to edit, sort out, and control the inevitable battles that will ensue.  Quite frankly, it's just too much work for them and could well kill a very useful board that we all enjoy.
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Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2018 at 9:51am
I thought it was a forum rule that there should be no postings about controversial/ potentially inflammatory subjects, such as politics, which more or less includes guns, as it does abortion and your favorite or most hated politians.  I can't find the rule, so maybe I'm wrong about that.

Nevertheless, I know I am not the only one who has expressed gratitude that the forum hasn't been a place for those discussions.  They aren't the reason for the forum and there are approximately 207,511,946 other places on the interweb to sanely or otherwise discuss issues like that, I am very much in favor of maintaining the tradition here of avoiding those topics.

So, it's not my intention to flame this up, but as far as the appropriateness of asking about hiding places for purses, keys, or guns (that wasn't the topic of the post in question) I don't recall ever seeing any other post about places to hide purses or keys.  Why would a post about where to hide a gun be necessary?

As I said earlier, this isn't about my personal feelings about guns or any of those other subjects.  We all have our own points of view, although some folks are more passionate than others.  The subject certainly doesn't offend me, except that I think this isn't the right place for it.  For the record, I own and enjoy guns and I either voted for Donald Trump or I didn't.  (I'm more passionate about that than I am about guns).  I don't feel the need to discuss guns or candidates for president on a forum dedicated to Forest River RPod travel trailers.  More important, I really enjoy being part of a very helpful community where you don't have to wade through volumes of posts about why everyone is so wrong about any opinion that's different than anyone elses.

I say maintain the tradition here and maybe even make it a rule that people have to see when they register, (if it isn't already).  My opinion.

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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2018 at 10:04am
I personally don't care what people discuss. I only care if they post it in the wrong section. "Off Topic" clearly insinuates you can discuss non-pod topics. If I go into that forum section, it is then my responsibility to be an adult an realize there might be non-pod topics. If I dont like the topic, I leave it. Thats what i do now, if I see a question about bedding, I could care less, so I dont even look. I think that a question about carry laws is different than a "whats your favorite gun" question. Lets face it, we all travel over state lines, and sometimes the laws change. Some laws like must have mirrors, or trailer brakes etc. The way we learn is sometimes asking a question on a forum. That's my 2 cents
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2018 at 10:28am
+1 to mjlrpod. The OP was in the Off Topic Forum. Much of what is posted on this forum is an opinion, WDH or no WDH, bypass the water heater or not, portable or hardwire EMS, what temperature to winterize, the list goes on. At the same time if a moderator requests a topic should not be addressed, I'm going to honor that request and move on, I take it as a positive experience. I'll probably make a mistake in the future, but I can live with it. Respect to the forum.
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Olddawgsrule View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2018 at 10:38am
Since I was the cause of this, with what I still believe to be an honest question, I will once again apologize if I offended anyone.

I will stop there and let this rest.

Thank you to those that have reached out as PM's to me.
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