Fix The Site Or Shut It Down

[TrappedinCalifornia]

https://www.calguns.net/search?searchJSON=%7B%22authorid%22%3A%5B%22376748 %22%5D%2C%22channel%22%3A%222%22%2C%22exclude_type %22%3A%5B%22vBForum_PrivateMessage%22%2C+%22vBForu m_Channel%22%5D%7D

Has very little to contribute besides sales section.
Let him navigate the other site and become a tick on the racoon.

He already contributes notably more than 'sales' over there as a simple Google search indicates. That includes posts such as...

Seriously, I'm a millennial and I'm a little over 40. Ten years ago we were all being derided with our avocado toast. Now we are ancient ents with creaking bones and treebeards.

...in a 5 page thread he started with...

Any body know where this server is physically located, perhaps? Is it AWS or something, or maybe local? At this point we should just ask the owner or an admin to decommission the tired old beast... especially if people are getting their accounts hacked. I can't even login to change my password.

The thread's title being... Take Down CalGuns.net?

Of course, the raccoon took advantage to spout his misleading statistics, his... well... a bunch of felgercarb.

Let's just say there are reasons I've posted warning that there are those who don't wish this site well and it's not necessarily something strictly evidenced by posts here.

[calif 15-22]

Of course, the raccoon took advantage to spout his misleading statistics, his... well... a bunch of felgercarb.

Dang Trapped I had to Google “Felgercarb. Well played sir!

Felgercarb is a fictional, made-up swear word from the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica series, used as a euphemism for "crap" or stronger profanity to bypass censorship, with variations like "feldergarb," and later honored in the reimagined series as a brand of Tauron toothpaste. It's a classic example of sci-fi world-building for fictional cursing, similar to Star Trek's "darn" or Farscape's "frak," and it even inspired a fan fanzine.

[ikeo]

I disagree with my own users about shutting the site down and will support keeping it up..

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

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[The Gleam]

I disagree with my own users about shutting the site down and will support keeping it up..

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

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It's about time you paid up to advertise here and for continuing your return in attempts to poach members.

But you're still several thousands of dollars short.

Lousy is as lousy does.


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[Imageview]

He already contributes notably more than 'sales' over there as a simple Google search indicates. That includes posts such as...



...in a 5 page thread he started with...



The thread's title being... Take Down CalGuns.net?

Of course, the raccoon took advantage to spout his misleading statistics, his... well... a bunch of felgercarb.

I don’t know why he would post misleading statistics when the real ones are pretty damning. I don’t like his site, find his continued posting here somewhat annoying, and have no dog in the ring. The only serious use I have made of that sight was to sell a few firearms that weren’t moving here since it is an objectively better site to sell on and I got impatient after over a month of things not selling here (they sold in under a week there).

But objectively (measured and cross verified through multiple independent sources) they get more traffic, have better user retention per visit, and have far fewer “bounces” than this site. It’s not as big as when calguns.net actually functioned effectively, but it’s far more popular than this site now. Sales is the main driver of acquiring user activity in this space. My username is directly reflective of this typical user journey, I created an account to be able to see images in the for sale section. With calguns being intermittently available and a worse option for sales, calgun will continue to take the lions share of what is probably a shrinking market (Internet forum for ca specific firearms discussion and sales). I would like to see this change, but… that boat has likely sailed even if things were to be fixed now. I hope I am wrong about that but I don’t think I will ever have a chance to know.

[TrappedinCalifornia]

I don’t know why he would post misleading statistics when the real ones are pretty damning. I don’t like his site, find his continued posting here somewhat annoying, and have no dog in the ring. The only serious use I have made of that sight was to sell a few firearms that weren’t moving here since it is an objectively better site to sell on and I got impatient after over a month of things not selling here (they sold in under a week there).

But objectively (measured and cross verified through multiple independent sources) they get more traffic, have better user retention per visit, and have far fewer “bounces” than this site. It’s not as big as when calguns.net actually functioned effectively, but it’s far more popular than this site now. Sales is the main driver of acquiring user activity in this space. My username is directly reflective of this typical user journey, I created an account to be able to see images in the for sale section. With calguns being intermittently available and a worse option for sales, calgun will continue to take the lions share of what is probably a shrinking market (Internet forum for ca specific firearms discussion and sales). I would like to see this change, but… that boat has likely sailed even if things were to be fixed now. I hope I am wrong about that but I don’t think I will ever have a chance to know.

You're going to find some serious debate as to which site is 'better' to sell on, even at his own site. Just bear in mind that trade is a single aspect, not the entirety of what this site is or isn't about. In fact, he's even got a thread asking his membership if they think his site is 'well known' and the (to me) 'limited' response rate is... mixed... at best. One of the responses, from a known user here (who I won't name), is...

The marketplace here is far better. The institutional knowledge and expertise there is FAR better. Seeing some of the discussions here is laughable about the things people say about various stuff, like needing a 36 power scope to shoot past 200 yards. Commentary like that likely turns knowledgeable folks away.

But I think here is more intended as a marketplace with a forum, rather than a forum with a marketplace and for that, it excels.

Thus, in his case, he agrees the 'other site' has a 'better' marketplace, but at least he acknowledges a critical difference and it's one which addresses one of the raccoon's major 'marketing' points, one which I've addressed before. Educating about the 2nd Amendment involves FAR more than discourse on competition, guns, and trading. This site has marketed itself as a center for 2nd Amendment resistance in California. Such involves discussions which are NOT allowed on his site and even if they were, the major source of their membership (the raccoon has claimed) isn't well versed in or predisposed to a traditional understanding of the 2nd Amendment or even Constitutional rights. Instead, it is more closely akin to the dissent in Heller than to the majority; i.e., many of the loudest voices over there appear to feel and present the rights protected by the 2nd Amendment as more a privilege (one bestowed by Government and the majority) than a natural right bestowed by God or nature's God. That difference has significant implications when it comes to how a civil right is viewed and, in many ways, it is reflected in the difference as to his 'management style' of his site. It's also reflective of why many from here, who have actually joined and tried to participate on his site, have left his and returned here.

Personally, I don't have a problem with his site's existence. It's simply an alternative, with an alternative point of view and an alternative rationale for participating. Where I have a problem is with the raccoon's machinations. His statistics are, in a word, misleading. Just like the metrics you site. They are only a piece of the puzzle and, depending on how they are contextualized, can be viewed differently. You see, many, many, many members from here aren't 'active' participants in this site or his. They are simply 'members.' They don't actively post in threads here, meaning they don't contribute to the discussions themselves on either site. I'd be willing to bet that many don't click advertiser links either, a major consideration. It's just like when you talk about 'membership numbers,' even his emphasis on now having "30,000 members" is to be taken with a grain of salt. Why? This site has 355,030 members or over 10 times the membership; but, the number listed as 'active' is actually only 5,656 and I'd be willing to bet that the truly active in terms of actual participation is even lower. Yet, you don't see those stats on his site and I'm not sure I'd trust them if they were. Why? Here is a portion of one of his posts from his site...

...We’re just getting started. This was kind of a reality check. Our platform will continue to develop in phases and in different sections as we get more traction. There’s a lot of room for growth in all areas of 2A. Many users are coming here, many don’t because of strict ideological political views that’s ok. If you want a 2A niche, this is a good place with a lot of different kinds of info. Bear with us, while we start to break grounds in other areas.

It's something I've addressed with him a number of times before. For him, it's all about marketing and hoped for ROI, not about the rights protected by the Constitution, including the 2nd Amendment. You'll notice that he's even acknowledging that he doesn't fully deal with the 2nd Amendment, yet declares his site to be about the 2nd Amendment. He also, significantly, notes that our views, which are more 'traditional,' are something he views as 'strict ideological political views.' The reality is exactly the opposite in that those here feel that natural rights aren't subject to 'politics' and are a Divine gift. As has been discussed, virtually on a daily basis, there are rights, freedoms, and liberties. If readers don't understand the difference in terms, there are plentiful discussions which can be found on this site, particularly as to how such terminology is related to the 2nd Amendment. That is one of the major reasons I'd view his statistics and how they are presented with a certain dubiousness. He only presents that which he views as 'positive' for his site, not those he sees as potentially 'negative' and, in fact, his reactions to what is posted on both sites bespeaks just that.

His continuing exultation of his 'diverse' membership is another example. It's not about a 'diversity' in ideological belief or age or anything which truly matters. It's about a 'diversity' in other things. Here, there are truly diverse beliefs in virtually every way. Yet, it's about a shared commonality in the context of E Pluribus Unum, from many, one. On his site, it's about being consistent with his personal beliefs and that of the majority of his members who he openly acknowledges come from Reddit, a community which has a specific distaste for this site and the feeling is, largely, mutual. It's just like the kerfluffle he got himself involved in when he banned the one member who was attempting to correct him in terms of his 'blaming the gun' rather than the shooter. He now denies he did such a thing and claims the member was being disruptive. However, we KNOW differently as we saw it play out in real time. He personally took offense, telling that member he would not tolerate being told how he should 'feel' about what happened to his friend. The fact was that what that member was doing was attempting the 'educate' him as to how to most effectively relate his experience from a truly 2nd Amendment point of view; something he had been attempting to do in general on his site and for which the membership here never saw any rules broken.

The list goes on, but that's a key difference in how the two sites are administered. No site is perfect, but there is MUCH greater tolerance and latitude allowed here in terms of discussions and timbre. There are groups and subgroups which push agendas and those agendas often conflict. However, we are united in our belief that the right to keep and bear arms is just that, a RIGHT, not a privilege. Similarly, we view other rights the same way and have little tolerance for politicians or 'salesmen' who attempt to use those rights for their own, personal gain at the expense of our rights. You see, the Revolutionary War, the war for Independence, wasn't fought by the 'majority' and our rights aren't subject to the 'majority's view.' (Again, see the discussions regarding the differences between rights, freedoms, and liberties.) Likewise, 'sales' isn't necessarily the only driver of site traffic and it's certainly not the only one which matters. In fact, I'd venture to guess that is a major reason his site still isn't as 'well known' as he'd like it to be; i.e., it depends on what is being 'sold' and that's not necessarily limited to gun-related trade.

[calif 15-22]

Owner and Top Moderators:

Kestryll last post = 7/15/2025
Ivanimal last post = 2/03/2025
rkt88edmo last post = 03/14/2025

145 Active members online (you can’t count the 7,823 “Guests” since they are just browsing or bots)

Any updates?
Are we there yet?

Felgercarb!!!

[TrappedinCalifornia]

Owner and Top Moderators:

Kestryll last post = 7/15/2025
Ivanimal last post = 2/03/2025
rkt88edmo last post = 03/14/2025

145 Active members online (you can’t count the 7,823 “Guests” since they are just browsing or bots)

Any updates?
Are we there yet?

Felgercarb!!!

You might try a more relevant statistic listed on Kestryll's profile page.

Last activity... 12/23/25

In other words, it's a LONG established fact that Kestryll doesn't necessarily post with regularity.

Now, Librarian used to post with more regularly and his last activity is listed as... 12/23/25... and his last post is listed as... 12/17/25.

You can't mean the last activity for both of them is... TODAY???

Doesn't sound like we've been totally abandoned to me.

[jarhead714]

The discretion given to us as individual members of a site is worth 10 ‘Coon marketplaces. The discourse over there is nauseating.

[calif 15-22]

I saw the last activity but I’m more interested in last POST as in an update. The last activity seems to update everyday for Kes yet nada on a post with an actual update.

Again Trapped I don’t need an update from you as to your theories as to what you think is going on behind the scenes, which is shear speculating at best. What would be great is “if like you say they are here everyday, is it too much for just a simple 30 second post stating “hang tight guys, we are working behind the scenes to fix things”. Not every day but maybe one more since July.

Librarian has heard nothing either. He actually posted to that effect in the Contributor Lounge. As did rkt88edmo.

No demands from me, no fix it or shut it down requests from me, just a simple post for those of us who just want to know. Well the 144 of us I guess.

[TrappedinCalifornia]

...The discourse over there is nauseating.

As I indicated earlier, the loudest on that site have an entirely different understanding of civil rights than the traditional one which is, mostly, adhered to on this site. It's also based on a difference in age cohorts, with many on that site simply viewing us and 'traditional' understandings as old fogeyism and not in line with 'modern' thinking. I took a look over there a little bit ago and saw this (username redacted)...

Populism is the evil that facilitated many tyrants rising to power, even in the 21st century. Populism is like a hypnotic drug to the lowbrow masses.

If we want less stringent gun laws, the way to achieve that is the come up with solutions that can dramatically decrease the gun violence in American society. One solution would be to implement psychological evaluations for people wishing to acquire firearms and periodic psych evals for the owners of firearms. Yes, it would be a pain in the *** and a lot of the people on this site probably wouldn't pass the evals. However, there are a lot of people buying and owning weapons who shouldn't even be allowed to own a meat clever or a carving knife or a car, let alone a highly efficient, semiautomatic firearm capable of injuring or killing dozens of people, at a distance, in just a few minutes.

Without getting into his take on 'populism,' note the limitation he seems to feel appropriate. Mandatory and perpetual psychological evaluations to exercise a Constitutional right? That reminds me of the courtroom sequence in the Elvis Presley movie Follow That Dream. It was filmed in 1961... 64 years ago. It showed what could happen (and what has always happened) when subjective standards are 'managed' by someone with an agenda.

[TrappedinCalifornia]

I saw the last activity but I’m more interested in last POST as in an update. The last activity seems to update everyday for Kes yet nada on a post with an actual update.

Again Trapped I don’t need an update from you as to your theories as to what you think is going on behind the scenes, which is shear speculating at best. What would be great is “if like you say they are here everyday, is it too much for just a simple 30 second post stating “hang tight guys, we are working behind the scenes to fix things”. Not every day but maybe one more since July.

Librarian has heard nothing either. He actually posted to that effect in the Contributor Lounge. As did rkt88edmo.

No demands from me, no fix it or shut it down requests from me, just a simple post for those of us who just want to know. Well the 144 of us I guess.

I get it. You aren't willing to accept anything but a post by Kestryll and, as I pointed out, it is a well established fact, not a personal theory, that Kestryll doesn't post regularly on a normal basis. It's just like your "we haven't heard anything" isn't even accurate. While we haven't had posts from either Kestryll or Librarian that particular subject, we have had a post by Librarian in the last week, denoting a continued interest in participating and we've had a post, also within the last week, from Corbin Dallas...

I have some log files to go through. I’ve not had spare time recently to devote as work has kept me very busy the last few months.

I’m hoping to have some downtime this next few weeks to look into this further.

You also posted "Are we there yet?" on that thread, after his post.

Not theory. FACT.

This constant demanding for attention, which is all the "Are we there yet?" posts are, is, frankly, irritating and it's unlikely to produce any, meaningful results; which you indicate you're not actually asking for, just some attention. No demands? Uh...

Try paying attention to what's going on rather than demanding attention. It's what the rest of us have been doing.

[ivanimal]

Meh….

[calif 15-22]

Have you heard any info you can share as to what’s going on behind the scenes to shore up our favorite site?

[ivanimal]

Have you heard any info you can share as to what’s going on behind the scenes to shore up our favorite site?

I haven’t been here enough to say. I will call Kes and find out soon.