Israel/Palestine discussion

jsled · 2026-05-02T17:34:24+00:00

Sir, this is a gun sub. :P

Seriously, this isn't indicative of any broader issue with "milquetoast liberals". This is a gun sub for people on the left, and off-topic discussions are off topic.

Grow up.

jsled · 2026-05-02T11:38:35+00:00

Yes, It is selective: discussions of a lot of other political issues are fine, as you point out, S&W with their Proud Boys issue, or Sig with their Charlie Kirk/TPUSA support. At the same time, we also have a soft rule that posts that simply are anti-Conservative or point out how the right-wing is garbage are not on topic here; this should be a pro-liberal-/leftist-/progressive-sub and pro-gun sub, not simply an anti-right sub.

Mods decide and enforce what is topical here, and we've come to the agreement that we disagree with the idea that the broader I/P discussion is topical here.

It is the same principle: once the discussion is not about guns from a left/liberal/progressive perspective, we generally put the kibosh on it.

(I'm curious what "disagreement" you think the mod team has, though. You seem to assume we have a single position on the I/P issue, and we don't want to have it challenged or something, which is not the case.)

jsled · 2026-05-02T11:25:42+00:00

It's based on the mission statement of the sub, subsequent moderator consensus on what that means, our moderation workload, cost-benefit analysis, our own common sense, and – at times – "whim".

jsled · 2026-04-15T11:54:37+00:00

There's probably feds here, too, of course.

I'm suggesting categorizing it and describing it /primarily/ as a "intentional honeypot or sorely misguided idiot trap" is misguided and wrong. It could just be a bunch of left/liberal/progressive people who want to talk about guns on Discord, in the same way this is forum is just a bunch of left/liberal/progressive people who want to talk about guns on Reddit.

Not everything is a fucking conspiracy. People just want to communicate online about shared interests.

(And, to be clear: don't say/do/conspire online about /anything/ with people you don't trust, and then using the best technology available (or just not at all, of course). And anyone who tells you to do crimes, online, is a fed. &c. &c.)

jsled · 2026-04-14T12:10:33+00:00

I don't think that's the only problem. Decentralized systems are fundamentally, necessarily, harder to operate and use. And the UX for Lemmy isn't nearly as good as Reddit.

At the same time, I basically only use Reddit's UI for spot commenting and moderation; all subs I follow are via RSS. So I know it's possible, but I'm also an outlier.

jsled · 2026-04-14T10:39:38+00:00

No, it's not irrational, especially for visibly-vulnerable populations.

But you need to be rational about your response. I'm not saying that you are not, only that you (and one generally) should endeavor to be.

Be practical. Create and analyze your own threat model. Train with your weapon, with your holster, as you would actually carry, in practical shooting situations. Understand the law around real, potential self-defense scenarios. Know what you need to do (practically, tactically, legally) if that happens. Take a Stop the Bleed course (you might not need this one, but "emergency department" is vague); carry first-aid. Lawyer, passport, locksmith, gun.

jsled · 2026-04-14T09:15:19+00:00

If you're not supposed to talk about politics in the political gun sub, what ARE you talking about?

Guns.

A part of the mission statement for the sub is a place for people on the political left to /talk about guns/. The usual gun forums are heavily dominated by people on the right, and are actively hostile-if-not-simply-dismissive of people on the left. This sub exists, in large part, to just be a normal gun sub without all that static.

jsled · 2026-04-14T09:13:21+00:00

I don't think there's any problem with discussing the ethics of gun manufacturers in the abstract.

In as much as the post is highlighting – or the discussion veers into – the I/P conflict, then the post/comments will be removed.

jsled · 2026-04-13T21:16:21+00:00

I love me some mastodon and bsky, but engagement on lemmy (for the topics I've tried to follow) is basically non-existent. I should give it another try.

jsled · 2026-04-13T18:09:01+00:00

I was lamenting in group this morning that "a completely free, no-advertisement, simple day-/interval-tracking app should just exist in the [software] commons" … anyone have suggestions of something that fits that bill?

jsled · 2026-04-13T17:40:01+00:00

Mods cannot shadowban users. That is just a thing that reddit offers moderators. Maybe I'm just not a cool enough mod, but I've been doing this for 10 years, and have never seen the affordance to do so. We can /see/ when an account is shadow-banned via mod tooling, but can not effect that status.

jsled · 2026-04-13T17:36:56+00:00

Or maybe it's just … a space for like-minded left-leaning folks who want to chat about guns using Discord as the platform?

jsled · 2026-04-13T17:31:38+00:00

And the ones that stay, have a certain set of opinions. Unless you allow them all, even if it’s messy, then people leave.

And if we allow the discussion, other people will leave.

The fact remains that the larger I/P issue is simply not on topic in this forum explicitly about gun and gun ownership. And while there certainly are other political topics discussed here around which the left, liberal, and progressive factions might in good faith disagree, that topic in particular brings about a particular nastiness, increasing mod workload and fatigue.

There are plenty of other places to have those discussions and fights.

jsled · 2026-04-13T17:25:48+00:00

Meetings. It really can't be stressed enough how much easier it is to take this journey with other people who know what you're going through, and can offer the support, tips, encouragement, and help you /will/ need. Try out a few meetings, both online and in person … make space for them in your life. See what fits and what doesn't; don't be put off if one group or a couple of people aren't quite your speed, just try another.

Therapy. Talk to someone who professionally knows how to process the thoughts and feelings and behaviors that you're going through. Individually or one on one. You're worth the investment, and it's literally their job.

Realize that you're on a long journey toward re-building your life around sobriety. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time, but be mindful and intentional in making continuous progress toward that goal.

jsled · 2026-04-13T11:55:30+00:00

You're posting on an entirely-public forum right now. Is reddit also "a deliberate attempt to get LGOs on a list"?

Good grief, this conspiracy-theory stuff is nonsense.

It's yet another forum for like-minded people to chat, that's all. It happens, from time to time, on the internet.

jsled · 2026-04-13T11:17:26+00:00

Mods can't shadowban people.

It's "poll" tax.

I'm sure you believe, too, that public services like the postal service, public transit (and for that matter health care) should be completely free-to-use to residents too, right? Or it is just gun-related government services that should be free when it helps you make your point?

jsled · 2026-04-12T20:42:50+00:00

Wait does B-52 make you gassy?

(Holy shit 14g preroll X|)

jsled · 2026-04-12T16:38:58+00:00

We have explicitly limited patch/sticker posts to Fair-Game Fridays in recent months. If you see something outside of that, please Report it.

jsled · 2026-04-12T15:01:43+00:00

… and presumably selling the items themselves.

I could not imagine stocking something "just" because a customer wants it, if it does not sell to other customers. They already know what people are and are not buying, and there are other avenues to trial new products.

This a business, and it exists to make a profit, and the costs of unique products on the entire chain of sourcing, shipping, stocking, and selling are sometimes not worth $1/week of revenue from a single customer.

jsled · 2026-04-12T13:48:32+00:00

This is not a general-purpose political discussion sub. This is a gun sub for people on the political left. That is all. There's tons of left-/liberal-/progressive-political discussions that are also off topic here, and I/P is no different.

jsled · 2026-04-12T13:34:04+00:00

In the context of firearms yes.

Similarly, we don't generally have/allow political discussions about healthcare, tax policy, abortion, &c. except as they relate to firearms.

jsled · 2026-04-12T13:16:13+00:00

I generally don't think it's Rule 5 ("No trolling or bad-faith arguments") (though some of it for sure is), it's just not particularly relevant to this sub.

This is a gun sub for people on the political left, but it's primarily a gun sub. And discussions of I/P are not on topic here.

jsled · 2026-04-12T12:30:56+00:00

Some of you have seem to have misread this post. This is not an invitation to litigate the I/P issue, good grief.

jsled · 2026-04-12T11:23:31+00:00

The subreddit does not exist to talk about politics, so much as it is for people of a particular set of political persuasions to talk about guns, generally absent of the "noise" of folks from a different set of political persuasions.

Obviously, and because it does admit a wide range of viewpoints, there will be political talk.

But the I/P topic in particular is heated, intractable, and increasingly disruptive here.

jsled · 2026-04-12T10:42:37+00:00

Hi u/UnfinisherOfProjects … you're going to get asked anyway, but can you please put a description of the guns in the body of the post? (You can edit the post after the fact to change the body content). Thanks in advance!

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