Dan Zimmerman blogs for TTAG at the Cheer Station, Austin, TX (courtesy The Truth About Guns)

Dan, Nick and I have just finished a major chin wag. We were reviewing. The situation. Can a man be a blogger all his life? All the trials! And tribulations! Etc. TTAG’s terrible trio met with the site’s ad guy (newbie shooter post to follow), a banker (profits to follow) and a brace of Lone Star State economic development guys (following Rick Perry on Facebook). After all that, Austin’s finest Tex Mex, more Padróns than you can shake a stick at and a close look at the recent TTAG reader survey, we made a few key editorial decisions. Of which I’ll share with you . . .

First of all, you can look forward to more of the same. We’re not going to mess with the site’s zeitgeist. If nothing else, I’m not sure I could find where it is in the code. You want no-holds-barred firearms-related news, rants and reviews? We’ll give you more no-holds-barred firearms-related news, rants and reviews.

Secondly, we’re going to tone it down and modify the mix. We’re not going to weaken our editorial bias towards extending and defending Americans’ natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. Nor we will sugar-coat, uh, anything. Or stop the snark. But we’re going to . . .

– Ditch the supermodel links (so you can recommend us to friends with low-T)

– Add some pro-gun control editorials (a.k.a., “fresh meat”)

– Continue to move towards a heavier helping of actual gun stuff (e.g., gun and gear reviews, comparos, TTAG Skunk Works projects)

– Generate more original content on Twitter and Facebook (e.g., gun giveaways)

– Develop a better gun review app (and launch it in iTunes)

Lastly, we know that TTAG’s design has strayed from its minimalist mojo and slipped behind the widget curve. So we’re implementing a new theme and switching to the DISQUS commenting system. NOTE: DISQUS killed by popular demand.

No doubt more than a few of you will bitch about the new site’s look, feel and functionality. There will be bugs. Rest assured we know that TTAG is your site. You put food on our table. We will do everything we can to address your concerns as quickly as possible.

And now, ahead of the editorial shifts, reader stats data dump and 3.0 refresh, dígame. What are we doing right, what are we doing wrong, what shouldn’t we be doing at all and what did we forget to do?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

189 COMMENTS

  1. Enough with the constitutionally protected natural civil rkba nonsense… We get it. That being said that’s a bummer about the babes. Twitter(crickets chirping). Keep it up with the editorials and gun/gear reviews. Killer website. Thanks a lot.

    • I like the natural, civil, RKBA stuff. It is a fact that needs to be repeated over and over. That which is not repeated over and over is that which is soon forgotten.

      There are plenty of babe sites on the internet and few QUALITY gun sites.

      And, me and you may be the only two left who don’t have a twitter account. Serious discussions cannot be had with that character limit.

      • ^^ This.

        However, did I read that correctly that you will be adding “pro gun control” editorials?

        If I read any pro gun control drivel here, even as it would relate to a devils advocate situation, I’m done with TTAG. I can read that sh#t anywhere – it does not need to be added here.

        • Exactly…I don’t give a hoot about pro-gun control content. It’s hard to avoid the mindless drivel, which is why I come here.

        • Here’s the problem – if we don’t diversify even a little bit, TTAG will end up being a massive echo-chamber circlejerk. Yes, I agree that gun control sucks and is terrible but we need to diversify the content a little more. Just a bit.

        • My thoughts exactly. I read TTAG because it is free of gun control drivel. Adding pro gun control editorials will NOT bring new readers as much as tick off the ones you have. People looking for pro gun control brainwashing have a myriad of voices to pat them on the head and tell them it’s for the best.

        • Obviiously the ‘pro-gun-control’ content is aimed at dragging in a larger demographic. If this means more MikeyBtedious guys, you’re taking a big risk. The move to more actual FA content makes sense. As for the babes removal, that is almost mandatory. You could start TTAS, of course. But that’s a separate question. Indeed, I thought one evening TTAG,C,&S might be a good (oops) site. Think about it.

        • Ditto. If you post a single pro gun control article here for any purpose other than highlighting the idiocy and errors of the left, I’m done.

        • Listen Guys…if you want to actually make a change in this pro 2ndA debate we need to try…at least try and get some anti’s to start reading this website. The only way to do that is by adding some of the antigun drivel. It also allows us to brush up on exactly how to debate and contradict some of the anti’s comments that float around the web. I think it’s a GREAT idea Robert…keep up the good work!

      • I think considering the other perspective, a.k.a. “devil’s advocate” is important. The reason that I started reading TTAG was that it wasn’t just another echo-chamber circle jerk. If we just cherry pick facts and repeat the same reasons to support our point of view, we’re no better than those who would take our RKBA away.

  3. No more links to Israeli models? Probably a good call, but my life was made better by those links.

    • And here I thought that the supermodels thing was GOOD for people with low t! Even the women.

      I’ll be the first to pitch a minor bitch about DISQUS. I can deal with the look and function, but don’t care for it. My experience is that the level of discourse on DISQUS groups tends to be low, with a lot of low-information types who think anything and everything you say makes you a “libtard”. DISQUS groups are CHOCK FULL of “libtard” accusations from people who cannot read with comprehension.

      Let’s hope we can keep them out of TTAG.

      • I’m not so much worried about the switch to Disqus lowering the discourse or attracting idiots, I’m more worried that the Disqus software just plain SUUUUUUUCKS.

        More gun and gear reviews? That’s what I wanted to hear!

      • My primary problem with disqus is that I am paranoid about javascript and cookies, and enabling disqus means enabling it everywhere, not just here. If I could compartmentalize each disqus site, that would be good enough, but I don’t see any way to do it. So I neither comment on nor even read disqus comments.

    • No more chicks??? No freaking way. See ya when I see ya. I’m outta here. Just kidding.

  5. I am glad that you are taking some of the suggestions seriously, particularly about getting back to what you should be. You might lose some of the less cerebral readers, but that is not a bad thing. I wish you well.

  7. Eliminating NSFW will make sharing your posts a lot easier without seeming to be a DOFWG to friends and family. Here’s a thought: create an Amazon store account and provide links to essential EDC and proven gear. You’d get commission and we could be tactical and prepared for the end of the world without even trying.

      • not safe for work
        dirty old fat white guy
        everyday carry

        He said “Great, I was scared to send links to people because they thought I was pervy! And you can make money by linking to amazon and getting a cut from referral sales”

    • Pro gun control editorials like the MikeB302000 stuff. So we can see what’s on the mind of gun control advocates.

      • You’re right – editorials, not links. I see your point about seeing what goes on in the minds of the advocates. Should be interesting.

        Be prepared for the “…even pro-gun site TTAG agrees…”.

        • Ya. That is a big negative that comes along with it. For that reason alone I think it shouldn’t be done.

      • I have NOT missed Mikeynumbers and his rants, but I suppose it will be good to know what our enemies are thinking.

      • If you must post things from the opposition, please no more MikeB302000. Get people who can write serious, thoughtful stuff that challenges us. If such people exist on the pro-gun control side….

        • Nothing pro-“control” is challenging……its all trading perceived safeties for freedoms…

      • Curious to see what will count as pro-gun control. Are we talking Brady Campaign, Mike Kelley, or SAF in their Manchin-Toomey days? The definition of pro-gun control varies among the TTAG commentariat.

      • mikeb302000.blogspot.com

        This guy, really? I’d like to believe we can do better.

        While not quite “pro gun-control,” I believe there are opinions among the readers of this site which go underrepresented. I’d love to see some work along the lines of this here:

        The Rifle On the Wall: A Left Argument for Gun Rights.

        “I think there should be fewer guns. I think we should have a more pacific society, one in which violence isn’t as alluring as apple pie, and we don’t have street parties to celebrate assassinations. I definitely think that the cultural representation of armed violence as a quick, effective, and attractive solution for all kinds of personal and social problems, which is ubiquitous in America, is ridiculous and pernicious. The answer to that is to do a lot of determined political and cultural work, not to pass a law and call in the armed police, the courts, and the penal system to enforce it on people who have done nothing wrong.

        Guns are neither magic talismans against tyranny nor anathematic objects that cause crime and violence. Guns – certainly the personal firearms that are in question – carry a limited but real measure of inherent power, and therefore danger, that everyone should respect. (Indeed it is because they are powerful and dangerous that they are the nexus of an important political right.) But guns are not agents of history. They are not, per se, going to free a polity from oppression or generate unrestrained social violence. Within an insurgent political movement, they can at certain moments be useful, even crucial, for the former outcome; and, within a context of social decay brought on by other factors, they can seriously exacerbate the latter. Their overall positive or negative effect is only determined by the political and social context in which they are used, and the character of the agents who use them.”

      • People on the internet seem to not realize that it is the polarization of certain issues that has led us to such a divided political system in the first place.
        If reading something makes you uncomfortable because it challenges your worldview I’d say that’s a good thing. I’m sure these editorials will keep up TTAG’s standard of writing and present evidence to back up claims.
        I personally hope that it will help people expand their perspective instead of jumping to yell “libtard” every time they read something that challenges their small existence.

      • Robert, thanks for mentioning me as an example of the kinds of pro-gun-control posts you’d like to use. I think you’re absolutely right to avoid the echo chamber that some of your friends seem to prefer.

        And, it’s about time you did away with the soft porn. Good decision.

  9. Can you please start a Truth About Sexy Women site?

    As for a constructive suggestion…I would love to see occasional special guest posts. Celebs who support 2A, shoot, hunt etc. Even, god help us, politicians.

      • I mentioned this in the survey. Mainstreaming gun ownership by showing that gun ownership is universal. A “Why, even celebrities shoot guns” sort of thing.

    • I elaborated on the representative aspect.

      More activist content is what is needed if we arw going to effectively fight back against the collective CNN and MSM/ Bloomberg loons of the anti-gun world. We need consolidated attacks on their ideologies in a point blank fashion of similar activism.

      Otherwise we are just talking to talk while they keep drafting law after law, making unconstitutional attack after another.

  10. One thing. More depth. Everywhere. Show your opinions strongly, whether we agree with them or not. Controversy is a good thing. It drives intelligent thought, and a lot more posts.

    No washy stuff, make your point and stick with it. That shows your metal.

    Investigative reporting rules, not he said she said I said, nor quoting AP like everyone else does. Dig deep. Be the journalists of the long gone era. Make your mark. Be quoted. Hard to do but it pays off in spades.

    Great so far by the by….

  11. Nice job with Zeitgeist. It did not go unnoticed. 🙂

    Of course, Gestalt would have worked there too. Is this an editorial c0ckt3ase?

    At any rate, I’ve been avoiding disqus, but maybe this will pull me into it.

  14. I hate disqus. It’s a great way for your readers to give up their privacy. No more comments from this JimD.

    • Yep.

      Disqus blasts tons of tracking cookies at you. I’ve noticed that on sites with Disqus, when I block most or all cookies to prevent “tracking” me across websites, the comments won’t load. As a result, there’s plenty of websites that have switched to Disqus where I not only quit commenting, I quit reading entirely because of how slow they are to load when you block Disqus from stuffing your browser full of tracking cookies.

      • I’d seen that behavior where comment sections don’t load, or load improperly. I guess it makes sense that it’s due to some part of my internet security interfering with it, but I never cared enough to figure out what it was. I figured if they wanted my input, they’d make it transparent to give it. If I have to fight bad coding, I don’t bother.

    • I bet the NSA is secretly requiring them to use Disqus as a condition of the secret settlement they reached to keep the site up.
      You can add me to the list for “no comment”

    • Agreed. If disqus is implemented my commenting will be severely limited.

      The current ttag comment system works perfectly. No bothersome registration, easy to use, and great discussion. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

      • All good*, IMHO, including inviting pro-gun control viewpoints- how else are you going to educate them if you don’t learn how they think. I was sort of disappointed everyone beat up on Dan Baum, for example- he was half on our side, and trying hard to educate his liberal friends.

        * Concur on Disqus. I closed my account there for same issues mentioned by others.

        And don’t EVEN think about requiring log-on with Fakebook, Google +, or Hotmail, pls.

        Big +100 on Amazon links. Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit does this well. Someone is gonna get paid, might as well be you…

        One last thing- been meaning to say- gotta give you credit- Robt, you put it out there, and bravely- it is YOURs and your writers site- and I appreciate the *brio*. I also appreciate when you pay attention to your customers, the readers.

        I think that willingness to evolve keeps things interesting, and will draw many more into the Intelligentsia of the Gun, which will keep this a MUCH more interesting place to visit, than “all the other gun sites”.

        Bravo Zulu.

    • I can’t comment via discus: It will mix together law/economics comments and RKBA stuff. Can I have two Discus names? I don’t think so.

    • I don’t want to have to register with a third party I don’t know to comment on this site. I don’t want to have to sign on every time I go to a site if I want to comment–and I visit here numerous times over the course of a day. I remember how irritated I got wen, due to a flaw or some platform change or some such, the site did not save my info and I had to re-enter it for every comment. I don’t want to have to do that again. The comments here about disqus give me great pause.
      Someone else with technical expertise can answer this inquiry: another site I visit on occasion uses disqus, but allows you to post as a “guest” without registering. Does this solve the cookie problem? Oh, and I’m like at least a few others here: I don’t twitter or facebook, never have and never will. ot even for TTAG.
      In short, if it is a hassle to post here, I might not. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing…

      • I think the “guest” commenting feature of Disqus still bombards you with tracking cookies, and won’t work if you have cookies disabled, if that’s what you’re asking. As others have mentioned, there are sites where the Disqus comments won’t even display unless you accept their tracking cookies.

        Like DG mentioned above, there are a few sites where the hassles of using Disqus has led me to completely abandon taking part in the conversation, which generally has resulted in reading the site less, because it’s not as much fun when you’re taking a less active role.

  16. I really like the site. I haven’t found anywhere or anything quite like it.
    I too, will miss the occasional supermodel link. Oh well.

    The disqus thing. Yuck. It’s intrusive.

  17. 1. Perhaps no links to supermodels, but I hope a name-drop still happens now and again… Thanks to those, my opinion of Israel and knowledge of its modeling industry has improved about 300 percent 😉

    2. Pro-gun-control editorials…… Well, I’ll withhold judgment. My initial thought, however, is “if I wanted to read that garbage, I would read the New York Times instead of TTAG with my morning coffee.”

    3. Disqus sucks. Sorry to be blunt, but one of the things I like most about TTAG is the fact that you use your own comments system, instead of Disqus as many other blogs are doing these days.It might be the right decision financially though, but I do not predict, sadly, that it will do anything at all for the site’s pleasantness in browsing or ease of use.

    • I’ve been on the fence about it at GuardAmerican.com with similar reservations.

      Isn’t part of the goal, though, educating as much of the public as possible?

      As to “fresh meat,” with ~350 million firearms about to be owned in America, who’s left? Or, more accurately: Who’s Left?

    • More snark? Is that even possible? Even if it is technically feasible, is it medically advisable?

    • It’s not the knife “reviews” that bother me so much as the fact that they exist just to promote their other site. Just post a big link on the side to the other site and be done with it.

  19. I like Disqus, and once considered it, too. It was once not so good, but today is bettah. Be curious on ease of implementation, etc., etc.

    What’s the downside, I wonder, for typically change-resistant gun owners?

    As to privacy and content control: Well, we’ve all been NSA’d into oblivion on that score.

    • The downside is a laughably fragile security infrastructure that allows 133t hax0rs to get your info from the the Disqus database, dropping a bazillion tracking cookies on your PC, and requiring you to unharden your box to permit the above. For me the risk is too high.

      • +1. I’m using laptop for work, but also read during breaks- so I don’t need to spend a day or three un-screwing it for bugs, etc.

        Yeah, NSA can watch everything we do- fine, who cares- unless you are drug dealing or sending $ to AQ, in which case I doubt you are spending time reading blogs fer crissakes…

        just keep the Anonymous wannabe script kiddies out of the place I go after work to read and relax.

  20. I would like to see more proliferation of activism. It’s great to have the info but “News” doesn’t help get anything done.

    As you guys stated prior, its not talking till we are blue in the face it is people on the ground.

    Tommy knocker has a good point. Having our Representative peoples being more forthcoming and willing to put themselves out there would go a long way towards their credibility and put them in touch with their base. Let them vie for our 2 A vote and say what they are doing. Then have them actually engage in the conversation.

    That is one thing I think TTAG staffers could do a bit better. On a typical Post we see one maybe two inputs from you guys. I personally think that could be improved.

      • Thanks, Kirk. Making it pay seems to be the biggest challenge. Hope you can help TTAG with that behind the scenes.

        And appreciate your tips on PC security- more links to that on your site sets you apart.

    • Based off what you said, I think it would be great if TTAG could try getting interviews with different representatives so we can get a better idea of their position (and it would be documented for all time on the internet).

      • What they SAY typically is irrelevant. What matters is what they do/what they introduce and sponser/how they vote. IE talk is cheap.

        And organized program to take elected (national and state) shooting.

  21. “…and what did we forget to do?”

    MAIG Hunter Revealed – Still waiting on an update with more supporting information, or a retraction if there isn’t any.

    I’m not really a fan of DISQUS, but I’ll reserve judgment ’til I see its implementation here.

    • Oh, and content/giveaways on Twitter and Facebook will be completely lost on me.

      I might get around to taking part in Twitter ones, maybe, because I do occasionally use Twitter to get in touch with companies that have a track record of responding well to that venue.

      But I will not interact through Facebook, period. If it wasn’t for using it to see pictures of my cousins’ kids, I’d deactivate my account entirely.

      • What’s facebook? What’s Twitter? Like you I don’t touch either of those. Guess I’m not narcissistic enough to waste my time on them. Also, work security protocols block disqus, so if you move I’ll only be able to see and respond to comments from home. Before this comment, I think that comp was last on in May….so I’ll lose a lot of ttag time with the move.

      • I am relatively “young,” but I don’t use Twitter -principally because I’m not a narcissistic teenager or celebrity who feels the need to broadcast every inane sentiment to the world. I don’t use Facebook for the same reason: deactivated my account about a year ago now and haven’t missed it one bit.

        • Well, as someone pointed out to me recently (on here), although Twitter is often derided for its stupid broadcast potential (Who wants to hear about my bowel movements?), its value is often not in what you say, but who you follow. For instance, if there’s a company (or several) that you’re really interested in, then following them on Twitter can clue you in to product launches and other announcements that you would otherwise not see ’til later, or not at all.

          Here’s a real world example: the Zimmerman trial. Over at legalinsurrection.com, another commenter gave instructions on how to set up the account of the 18th Circuit Public Information Officer (@PIOFLCourts18) to alert my phone when she put out a new tweet. If you look at her feed from during the trial, it had a very high signal to noise ratio — she only tweeted once or twice a day, and they were always high-information value. That frequency increased to 4-5 times a day once the trial went to the jury, but again, only important stuff like “The jury has a question” or “We have a verdict.” Thus, when the trial went to the jury, I could go on about my business, trusting that when the jury came back, she would put out a message to that effect and I could tune back in. This was a far better solution than repeatedly checking a news site, or having to keep the news on all day, or following someone else who had a lot higher tweet volume, but where much of that volume was meaningless to me. I honestly could not think of a better solution to meet my needs in following that case. That’s the value of Twitter, to me at least.

  23. Love what you guys are doing. You’re my daily newsfeed. Take care with this thing ya got going that works.

    • I certainly hope not. There are a couple of sites/organizations where I participate, and I’m automatically excluded from many of their drawings since I won’t use Facebook.

  26. DISQUS effing BLOWS.

    It is a rare day I’m not 100% on board with any announced TTAG proclamations and edicts. But DISQUS? This one has me baffled.

  27. If I wanted pro gun control editorials, I’d go to the NewYorkTimes.com, or any other mainstream rag. I come here to get away from the sickness of hoplophobes.

    Please don’t drive us away with that drivel.

    • I agree with you that most gun control talking points and editorials are just that – drivel. But if we completely flood this blog with nothing but pro-gun stuff then this site has sunk to that level and is nothing but a mindless echo chamber. I’m not saying we should radically change our views, or even change them at all. All I’m saying is, we need a LITTLE bit of balance. Not much. Like, maybe one gun control editorial every few days.

      Just to see the other viewpoint.

      • NO BALANCE NEEDED.

        Why must some of you insist that we bring “a fair conversation about gun control” to TTAG. That is what you are saying. You want pro-gun control, feel free to read EVER OTHER MSM PRINT AND SITE out there.

        • Agreed. We don’t need a balanced presentation of information, we need to balance out the dozens of other outlets that are vitriolically anti gun. As for getting a feel for what the other side thinks, Quote of the Day usually covers that pretty good.

    • Agreed. I don’t want to open The Truth and see a headline from some control nut telling me that because I own firearms that makes me a baby sacrificing Baul worshiper with the moral compass of Jack the Ripper, Jeffery Dommar, and Hiter combined. It’s bad enough reading the circular logic that is MikeB’s comments and arguments. If I want to know what the other side has to say I can read MSM news sites.

      Allowing them to spew their crap here will seriously curtail the amount of time I’ll want to spend on your site.

      • At least with Disqus we can downvote MikeB’s word-vomit and get an idea of just how many people think he’s an idiot.

      • Let’s look at that same paragraph, from a different perspective.

        “Agreed. I don’t want to open The NY Times and see a headline from some gun nut telling me that because I want to try and reduce violence that makes me a baby sacrificing Baul worshiper with the moral compass of Jack the Ripper, Jeffery Dommar, and Hiter combined. If I want to know what the other side has to say I can read gun blogs.”

        __

        Of course, I don’t agree with gun control or think it will reduce violence at all. But if we close our ears to their arguments while chanting “LALALALA” then are we any better than the antis?

  28. Don’t do twitter or facebook. Don’t know disqus from the outhouse. Ditching the NSFW stuff is a step in the right direction. Gun control editorials? Ain’t that what the MSM and the White House press releases are for?

  29. In the past, when there have been “pro-gun control” editorials run here, they have been transparent argument bait, purely to drive pageviews, and I would be comfortable with the assertion that not a single person “learned” anything from the reading of them. I hope that whatever you do choose to post is better than those were.

    I really don’t see the point of having posts that are “original thought” pro-gun editorials here, when there are so many “out in the world” to be refuted.

    I will reserve judgment ’til I see some, but I think it will be hard to come up with anything that I won’t just shake my head and close the tab halfway through, or just skip over entirely without a glance. You put out so much content that I want to read, I’m certainly not going to spend my time arguing with the shooting range dummy that you set up for that purpose.

    I just don’t see the point.

  30. I’ve been locked out of my Disqus account for months. I don’t think they liked some of my pro-gun stuff I was saying on other sites. I’m sure they will blow a gasket over the comments on this site.

    If you can get rid of the ads that start talking by themselves in the middle of the night that would be OK. I always have to remember to either mute my computer when I go to sleep or close the tab that has TTAG in it. Which do you prefer?

      • I haven’t been able to sign in to Disqus at all on any site using my email/username. I am reasonably tech savvy but Disqus doesn’t like me and I really don’t care for it.

        I could probably set up another bogus email account just for Disqus but I spend too much time on the interwebs chasing rabbits as it is.

        • Your security settings are probably preventing you from feeding Disqus personal information, or preventing it from further compromising your PC.

        • No, it simply yells me my username/password is wrong regardless of what the password is. If I try to reset it tells me that my username is already in use.

          I know it’s in use. I set it up.

  31. Please no pro gun control crap here. I live in NJ I get that crap all day, I come here to actually remember anyone else cares about rights.

  32. For all of you who are saying that “TTAG’s current comment section works fine,” keep in mind that it’s not all about you. It works fine for you, but it’s not working fine for the admin side. The spam filter picks up literally hundreds of attempted spams (and unfortunately some that aren’t), but it also lets some through. Most recently those “work at home” spams have been leaking through, 6-10 a day, on top of the others that make it in. All told, it’s probably upwards of a hundred a week that have to be manually deleted. Frank has been doing an awesome job getting rid of them, but even he doesn’t get them all. For a few months, I’ve been keeping a list of all the spams I see, and emailing them in once a week to get deleted. My email list usually runs in the 10-12 line range, which isn’t a lot, but those are only the ones that are left after Frank’s been on the job all week. Sometimes it’s as many as a couple dozen. Also on my list this week are a couple dozen “orphaned comments” that were replies to the spammers themselves, by folks who are overly impressed with their own sense of humor. All of those orphaned comments have to be manually deleted, too, otherwise they just fall to the bottom of the comment section and make no sense. It’s probably best to just ignore the spam comments ’til they get cleaned up rather than inflicting your sense of humor on the world.

    Keep in mind, I don’t like DISQUS either, but I understand why they feel its necessary.

  33. My compliments to the entire staff and a huge “well done!” I too wonder about Facebook and Twitter. Good publicity, but a huge invite for gun grabbers looking to cause trouble, spam you to death, and try and take down the site.
    Each week I record Top Shot on Tivo and end up with 20 minutes of Bow and Arrow vs. Slingshot while I was hoping for a Sig 226/229 (with an external safety) vs. the H&K P30V1. Throw in the CZ, the Steyr, the Caracal and you have a show, but (very often) they don’t.
    Hey, why don’t you guys produce a show? There is plenty of bad Firearm TV and with the foundation you have built, TTAG seems like a natural! Either way (text or film) I’m grateful for your work. Kurt

  34. Say it ain’t so RF, because I love the supermodel links. I’ll be able to get through the posts faster without the hot models, but I really want them to stay. Maybe we could have a vote and see how the other readers feel about keeping our supermodels. Another option would be to have supermodels holding guns so that it wouldn’t look like we’re just checking out the hot women.

  35. You guys have established yourselves (with hard work) as the premier site carrying the pulse of all things firearm related.

    I agree that the site is better cleaned up without the skeezy skin links. No need to be exclusinary to anybody as the use and world surrounding firearm usage touches more than the typical owner.

  36. Excellent site gentlemen.
    “Proud To Stand With Ye”

    Suggestion as follows:
    …natural, civil, Constitutionally declared, enumerated and protected right to keep and bear arms.
    “The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records.
    They are written, as with a sun beam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.”
    Alexander Hamilton, 1775.

  37. I don’t know what Disqus is. But the reaction here has been overwhelmingly negative. I think the current comment system is fine.

  38. Once upon a time, a Top Gear like thing was suggested. I like that. One of my favorite posts ever was the $200 Bug Out Bag Challenge.

  39. If the pro-gun control editorial authors are willing to engage in good faith debate with the community here as a condition of getting to post I could see a real benefit. If, however, it just devolves to one side waving a bloody shirt and the other side shouting “molon lambe” over and over again that seems kind of pointless.

    Also, with all the Disqus hate, is LiveFyre any better?

  40. I haven’t had experience with DISQUS. Based on the comments I’m reading here, Wiki’s summary, and a visit to the DISQUS site, I think that in the future my visits to TTAG will be limited or non-existent.

    Its been fun…

  41. I’ll put in a vote for more tactics, training and skill improvement info. The gear stuff is great but I really like the info that makes the shooter better.

    oh and iPhone/iPad gun related app reviews 🙂

  42. Good points on all, even the pro-disarmament editorials, since you have to be able to see and argue both sides to make yours more effective.

    Disqus, on the other hand, is no go. It’s laggy, it puts posts down the memory hole, and it’s just a vehicle for editorial censorship. Just keep the current one, but ditch the fvcking language filter.

    • You’re the second person that’s said that. The site has a mobile version. In your mind, what would a dedicated app do?

      I’m not flaming, I just don’t see the application. That may be a lack of imagination on my part, so enlighten me.

      • I prefer to use the mobile site from my iPhone than I do the desktop version from my laptop. No ads. I never have any of the issues many seem to suffer.

      • Matt c’mon man I have to open my browser and actually type the link in or select a favorite?!?!? That’s like so last year. I should only have to do one thing to get access to the site. End/sarcasm

      • With the current comment system, the mobile site does not show replies to comments in the correct order, thus making it rather difficult to follow a conversation.

  44. Guys,

    You’re still my first go-to site; keep up the good work. Given that I’m deeply embroiled in the MA political arena right now fighting against the emotional proclamations of the anti-gun crowd, I’d like to see an expansion the Gun Facts area to include a dedicated statistical and research report section, ideally with a cross-reference capability. An example of the research report I’m suggesting is the Clayton Cramer (author of the excellent book Armed America) deconstructive analysis of the incorrect and deeply flawed, but nevertheless frequently quoted (by anti’s) Violence Policy Center report of gun homicides by CCW licensees. Link to the free PDF of the report:

    http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2095754

    Lots of these links are dropped into comments by your readers, behavior which you could encourage to even a greater extent.

    Thanks for listening!

  45. Disqus absolutely sucks. Good luck with that. I’ll still visit the site daily; just won’t be commenting. Oh well.

  46. Thanks for all you’ve done so far. Twitter? Only time I twitter is when you guys show me some hot babes. MORE BABES! Got no use for ibook or facetunes. So there’s the best I can do to supply the bitching you were expecting. Welcome to Texas! Notice that everybody claims to be from “West” Texas. We here in El Paso don’t know why. Heck, you aint even in the right time zone!

    • And readers who want anti-gun screeds can go to literally thousands of other sites to read that trash.

  48. – Ditch the supermodel links (so you can recommend us to friends with low-T)

    – Continue to move towards a heavier helping of actual gun stuff (e.g., gun and gear reviews, comparos, TTAG Skunk Works projects)

    GOOD.

  49. My first reaction was, “not the super model links!” (however I can see why some might find them objectionable), My second was, “pro gun articles? why?”. My favorite articles are the one where a pro gun control argument is systematically disassembled with logic and facts. A completely pro gun article strikes me as somewhat pointless since we all pretty much agree that inanimate objects do not cause crime. The rest of it sounds great keep up the awesome work.

    • If properly done pro-gun control articles would help protect against too much of an echo-chamber developing on the site, keeping our minds and arguments sharp. Besides, on this site there is a question whether supporting background checks for FFL purchases is pro-gun control, so I doubt you are going to see many Sen. Feinstein op-eds.

  50. Just in case the DISQUS thingy doesn’t quite work out…
    Caution: Unedited opinions, reader discretion strongly advised.
    No offense intended to anyone, but it’s a provable fact that far more people than an otherwise knowledgeable person might be inclined to believe simply cannot provide a suitable definition for the word ‘Rights’ when directly challenged to do so.
    Fewer still fully understand the concept. ( For any who may have glanced over it, you might want to read that last statement again. )
    That so many people believe America is a Democracy, that government grants, awards and affords ‘Rights’ and people who haven’t earned it and don’t deserve it have a ‘Right’ to everything from a free cell phone to ‘free cash from the Obama stash’ ( and all other just and due entitlements courtesy of the Welfare State of these once-United States, ) is no less than testament to the results of nearly 100 years of societal engineering, indoctrination, institutionalizing and successful assimilation of all Americans into the Great Collective. ( Not to mention pending collectivizing of a few million ‘other than Citizens’. )

    Even the word ‘Rights’ itself is somewhat misleading, in that it presupposes the presence of another person or persons who could somehow alter, abridge or — most especially in the case of ‘government’ — seek to abolish altogether the natural status of each person.
    Keywords, Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Note the word “Liberty”.
    For any having not yet seen the following question phrased for the purpose of eliciting ’understanding’ of the concept of ’Rights’:
    “If every other person but you suddenly vanished from the entirety of the planet, what ’Rights’ would you have?”
    Simple answer? The word ‘Rights’ itself would become wholly meaningless and insignificant — that is of course, unless you contrived some way to personally violate your own otherwise unalienable status.
    Would you have the ‘Right’ to keep and bear arms?
    Some might say you’d actually be in a state of ‘Liberty’ and prudence would suggest it might be advisable to do so.
    BUT…only after you invented your own government, filled out forms, submitted fingerprints, took a picture of yourself, paid taxes and fees and received permission from yourself for the privilege. Subject to common sense GUN SAFETY / CONTROL LAWS and other reasonable restrictions.

    Remember this always and you’ll never forget it:
    Conscience, Morality and Rights, that’s what it’s all about.
    And finally and lastly but not leastly, a heartfelt and sincere Thank You to all the fine folks at TTAG.
    Gw

  51. I can go almost literally anywhere else on the internet and read anti-gun diatribes any time I want. Why would I want that here too? I come here to get AWAY from that noise.

    • Well… anyone that even accepts the offer of being the slightest anti-gun should know that they will get blasted into the abyss…

      I like having newbie articles (for and about newbies).

      Also, if there’s a list of equipment people want reviewed, we should make a review request list, and I’m sure either the people in the forum (or the manufacturers) can send them for evaluation.

      I wouldn’t mind seeing a “hot deal of the day” section in the forums either.

  52. I applaud the intention to allow people with a divergent perspective (such as pro-gun-control writers) a voice on this website. Doing so is possibly the most bold thing one can do online, and can go a long way toward establishing credibility. Kudos to you guys for making that decision.

    That said, this effort will only work if we, the readers pull up our big boy pants and act mature. We can have lively, productive debate without resorting to name-calling or flame wars. I am confident we may actually change for the better as a result of it. We may change by testing our ideas out on a live opponent and finding which ones are weak. We may change by understanding the fears and desires of the opposition. And it’s even possible…maybe…just maybe we will change our deeply-held opinions about some gun-control proposals.

    Guys, let’s do this.

    • We can have lively, productive debate without resorting to name-calling or flame wars.”

      Heh. Yeah. Gun guys have been known to throw fists arguing “.45 vs. 9mm”. Probably not the most likely group to produce “Robert’s Rules Of Order” debates on the topic of gun control civilian disarmament…

    • “We can have lively, productive debate”

      No, you are 100% wrong. If you’ve spent even five minutes talking to a gun control advocate, you know that there is no debating with them. They are convinced that their way is the One True Way and all dissenters should be punished. It’s the equivalent of trying to debate with the Westboro Baptist Church or the Muslim Brotherhood. They have a religious devotion that is the core of their identity and they will not listen to any dissent at all. Adding pro-gun control editorials will not bring anything of value to the site, merely piss off readers who already see that crap on every other news site.

      • I disagree; I’m not 100% wrong. I am willing to admit that I may be 25% wrong. However, I’ve never found how wrong I am by interacting with people I agree with, but by testing my ideas in verbal battle.

        The reality is that we are losing the war of credibility because of our entrenched positions. To the public at large, we are Westboro Baptist Church, with “a religious devotion that is the core of [our] identity” and who “will not listen to any dissent at all.”

        We need to change this. The proposed change to the site is one step in that direction.

        As it stands, the only forum for us to share our perspectives is on enemy ground. So when pro-gun advocates are invited on, invariably they are shouted down, shut down or generally made to look like fools.

        So let’s invite them to our forum. Only let’s be the adults, not the petulant bullies. Allow them to share more than their positions—but seek to understand what’s behind those passions, fears and desires.

        There are real people out there, a great many of whom hold gun-control position because they’ve never interacted with someone who showed both reasonableness and compassion.

        Will this work? I think so. I’ve spent much more than five minutes debating with a real, live gun control advocate in my own circle of influence. He now understands my position on gun-control legislation and why I feel that way. I get why he’s afraid of the pro-gun community, and have worked hard to show him those fears are unfounded.

        Has he changed his position? A little, maybe. But he knows and respects a pro-gun advocate who heard him out. Have I changed? Yes. Not so much in my position, but definitely in my understanding of him and the thinking that goes into his positions. And this has tempered how I interact with him and with others with whom I disagree.

        Would I invite him to this site right now to see a whole community of like-minded people? Not on your life! That would reverse months of effort with the comments on one article.

        My hope is that this will change.

        • This does show the fissure in gun culture between those who think persuasion is the way to go vs. those who see brute force and hoping we outbreed gun grabbers as the path to victory.

  53. I dunno about adding editorials *for* gun control. The entire national media machine is for gun control. It’s the default setting. We don’t need even more of it. (Although it might be fun to tear some apart first-hand…but they’re usually so easy to tear apart that it’s not much of a challenge.)

  54. I’m pretty much with others here on the Disqus thing. I don’t really try to be anonymous on the intertubes, but I’d like to get a little more functionally in exchange for my nonexistent privacy. Not a total deal killer for me, but choose wisely, Luke.

    I’m for pro-gun-control editorials, if you can find good ones. A canned pheasant hunt is not interesting to me. I’d suggest looking overseas, to countries that have strict gun control and different cultures around guns. We may not agree, but we may learn something. A rabid, ill-informed anti-gun rant is not instructive.

    More importantly, I’d like to see more diversity among pro-gun voices. I know that diversity exists. Go to a gun show in Portland, OR, you’ll see what I mean. Plenty of conservative OFWGs, but plenty of “alternative” and non-white folks, too. And lots of women.

    In my view, if TTAG has a failing, it is that it has tended to pander to a very narrow cultural conservative orthodoxy, one admittedly shared by many contributors. That keeps the loyal readers here, but it’s not really helping the broader cause.

    I’d love to see more gun reviews/info, including getting into more technical/mechanical stuff. I don’t comment on those threads, because I usually have nothing to contribute, but I often read them.

  55. As much as I want to fully back DISQUS, I have to echo other people’s concerns… I’ve had both good and bad experiences with it. If TTAG does end up going with it, it might impact who chooses to participate in the comments, but TTAG has already gone forward with establishing a forum – another venue for reader participant. So yeah… if you guys do go forward with DISQUS, please oh please make sure it’s implemented as smoothly as possible. Any hiccups that persist beyond a couple of days might prove toxic.

    As far as content, TTAG’s reviews are still the bread and butter of the site – lots of good pics and video. It’d be nice if TTAG also did some “dueling reviews”, maybe 2 different opinions about the same firearm (such as the recent 2 reviews of the Lionheart Industries LH9), or maybe a series of “2nd Look” reviews, where you update an old review with new insights over the life of the firearm (durability, new aftermarket parts / accessories, etc.)

    • Oh, and I happily shared many of the stories written for the recent FN gun contest… along with the “I Am A Gun Owner” series.

      Keep up the good work, TTAG.

  56. I use the Firefox plugin, Ghostery, and it blocks all Disqus comment areas by default… So there’s that to consider. Not that I comment much, but I do read them.

  57. – The cheesecake pics or links: I don’t care either way. They’re certainly not necessary. I’m of an age when pretty women seem to be a dime a dozen. Pretty women with brains… now there’s what’s interesting and rare. Pictures convey nothing about intellect, so they’re boring to me.

    – Content: It would be nice to see more technical content, and I know what RF and DZ are going to say (“Well, you could generate some…).

    – I’d like to see an effort made into putting some of the excellent, stats-laden dissections of gun controllers’ claims and results put into FAQ form, for people to be able to access rapidly if they’re arguing a point with someone. It would be exceptionally powerful if there were a “TTAG Gun Stats & Facts” mobile app, where people could call up factoids and stats when they’re standing in line, waiting to give some legislator a piece of their mind.

    – Twitter and Facebook: Complete no-op for me. Don’t use either one. Ain’t about to, either.

    – Gun giveaways: The guns you’re giving away don’t stir me to even look at the requirement for the contest.

    – Disqus… would probably mean that I no longer comment. If the site loads, I would read. If not, oh well, another site lost to Disqus.

    • “I’d like to see an effort made into putting some of the excellent, stats-laden dissections of gun controllers’ claims and results put into FAQ form, for people to be able to access rapidly if they’re arguing a point with someone. It would be exceptionally powerful if there were a “TTAG Gun Stats & Facts” mobile app, where people could call up factoids and stats when they’re standing in line, waiting to give some legislator a piece of their mind.

      This is a fantastic idea.

      On another note, why the hate for Disqus? Is it because you have to take .05 seconds to type in a username and password and hit “save password”?

      • If you’re paying attention to the cookies and Javascript code that Disqus packs into your browser to implement their commenting system, you’ll dislike it too.

  58. Two things – #1 “Add some pro-gun control editorials (a.k.a., “fresh meat”)” – I think this is a rather bad idea and will do nothing but convince anti-gun people who stumble across the site that “See, even gun owners want gun control!”. #2 I’m very excited to see you switching to Disqus (I recommended it in the survey). I think it’s a great way to judge community feedback on comments and it gets rid of the “+1 !” posts.

  59. Leave in the links to the Babe’s. It’s a nice diversion. Although I am strongly a gun-guy, often these important interesting ‘subjects of the gun’ can be dry.

  60. Guys,
    You’re still my first go-to site; keep up the good work.

    Given that I’m deeply embroiled in the MA political arena right now fighting against the emotional proclamations of the anti-gun crowd, I’d like to see an expansion of the Gun Facts area to include a dedicated statistical and research report section, ideally with a cross-reference capability. An example of the research report I’m suggesting is the Clayton Cramer (author of the excellent book Armed America) deconstructive analysis of the incorrect and deeply flawed, but nevertheless frequently quoted (by anti’s) Violence Policy Center report of gun homicides by CCW licensees. Link to the free PDF of the report:

    http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2095754

    Thanks for listening!

    P.S. I’m posting this through Explorer, I tried last night at 2200 hrs with Chrome and my posts don’t show up. Any ideas anyone?

  62. Stay the hell away from Disqus. I think the site is largely okay as it is. We need more scientific, objective gun and gear reviews, but I also recognize that it’s pretty difficult to do so for a lot of reasons, not least of which is that ammo for virtually everything is hard to find in sufficient quantity.

    I’ve no problems with the occasional link to hot supermodels, but then again I’m single. Nor do I have a problem with RF’s occasional comment about being Jewish. Just so it’s all in good fun.

    What I do have a problem is with Java. Not sure if it’s my computer but it relentlessly asks for a Java update everytime I reboot, and most every time I’m on TTAG it tells me the Java plug-in was disabled. Any idea what’s up with that? (Hint: I’m not an IT expert.)

    FWIW, if I can ever scrape up enough ammo (for whatever), I’ll be more than delighted to try my hand at writing reviews.

  63. I would prefer to see balanced gun control articles and editorials because I’m truly interested in hearing what the other side has to say after they’ve researched the debate or a specific topic as it relates to gun control. All too frequently, anti-gun arguments are based on misconception of the law. I’d also like to hear the opinions of others who have switched sides, either way. Burying our collective heads in the sand doesn’t work. Ignoring opposing views is self-imposed brainwashing.

    I’d also like to see some content as it relates to legal misconceptions amongst gun owners. As a firearms dealer, I hear it all, from the alarming to the downright stupid.

  64. “- Ditch the supermodel links (so you can recommend us to friends with low-T)”

    Oh the humanity!! Say it ain’t so, Moe!

  65. Pro Gun Control content?
    While I feel there is plenty of gun control content out there elsewhere, I get it. Tis “The Truth About Guns” after all. And not all gun control is bad. Promoting the kinds of things that can help address violence (Gun related or not), Mental health, and all that fun legal stuff.

    So basically, gun control as it should be, and not “Gun Control” as the grabbers would have it. Instead of “Common Sense Solutions” we would have actual common sense.

    About the models. Well, why would you come to a gun site for models anyway? Open another tab, and boom, there ya go.

    A gun review app would be nice.. Something that would allow readers to submit their own reviews on the guns they own or rent. Allow readers to get a broad field of reviewers so we could actually see things like average level of satisfaction, common flaws, and all that. (This could also allow manufacturers to get the data they need to improve or fix common problems, and adjust future designs better to what gun owners want. People rarely sing praises, but are very quick to shout from the rooftops if they get a lemon.) Oh, and if ya make it free, I’m pretty sure you would be able to get ad revenue.. just sayin..

Comments are closed.