Is the high road being infiltrated?

[Roadwild17]

I noticed over the last several months the number of "He who has call III stuff"& "Show me whats in your gun safe" have went up. I might have my tin foil hat on a little to tight and I haven't had my coffee yet, but does anyone else find it fishy that most of these threads are started by new members and hardly and of them have a pic to offer up of there stash?

I know THEY can track you by your IP or other ways I don't know about, but starting these threads in some of the most politically charged times is ironic. Right now were in the calm before the storm, why give them info to use later?

 

[1911 guy]

It's a tongue in cheek comment, but contains a grain of truth.

"It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you."

Like anything else in life, prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Maybe it's just new guys who want to see guns. Maybe it's Agent Schmuckatelli. Heck, my wife doesn't know about all my guns. Why should someone I've never met?

 

[Golden Hound]

Now that you mention it, it is indeed very suspicious, and I don't think you're being unjustly paranoid at all.

It only makes sense that the antis (including the ones in the government) would be doing this. Nobody can deny that the internet has created a huge new gun culture and that online forums are now bringing together thousands of shooters from all over the country and the world who would otherwise never meet. They realize that with this political situation, there's going to be a lot of activity on these online gun forums.

It makes total sense for them to be doing what you're suggesting. And we should all be aware of it, and post accordingly.

 

[caseypj]

They won't see your IP address unless they view the server logs of who uploaded the photo at imageshack or wherever or a moderator at THR furnishes them with your IP. Needless to say, don't worry about it.

 

[1 old 0311]

Along the same line, look at how many 'new members' showed up pre election, claiming that their candidate, in spite of his voting record, was indeed a supporter of the Second Amendment. Where are they at now?

 

[hankdatank1362]

We know the .gov browses this, and many other forums of interest (that could be anything from Stormfront to NAMBLA).

However, I wouldn't be too concerned with posting pics of my guns, or espescially my NFA goodies. Anyone who reads this forum for more than a few minutes will realize we know the ins and outs of practically any firearms law or regulation, and that, as a whole, we pretty much abide by them.

On the other hand, go to Youtube and look up "homemade silencer" or "coke bottle silencer". Pages after pages of people willfully breaking NFA '34 and then posting the evidence, in video format, online. I've never heard of any of them being arrested for it, and I doubt that their soda bottles are being targeted for confiscation.

 

[hso]

It goes in cycles.

This is just the most recent, "I'll show you mine if you'll show me your's?". It is usually associated with a sudden growth in membership. Expect another within the next few weeks as panic buyers find THR as their curiosity about their new purchases has them looking for information.

 

[JBB]

It's probably not a major issue, but I oftentimes think that the folks who list an inventory of their firearms in the signature line of their posts might not be thinking about what they are doing. I don't like to advertise the fact of my gun ownership with stickers, decals, etc., either. Why let potential robbers know whats available in your home or car. I like to think this is just good common sense and not paranoia.

 

[Starship1st]

Roadwild17,

I know what you mean. Every time that type of thread comes out, my radar goes off. I am glad to see that others think as I do; so I am not just being paranoid.

My thinking is, to never show everything you got and I am sure that (for the most part) it is just converation and curiosity. I do not believe that THR has been compromised .

Thanks for speaking out.

 

[Just Jim]

Your life was compromised when you got on the internet. Posting on gun boards just puts you in a different catagory. Get used to it, it will be worse over the next four years.

jj

 

[jnyork]

I was going to post pix of my guns but then they fell into a deep lake during an unfortunate canoeing accident. Sorry.

 

[jerkface11]

I take it there's a run on Aluminum foil to go along with the run on guns and ammo.

 

[Restorer]

I was going to post pix of my guns but then they fell into a deep lake during an unfortunate canoeing accident.

Whoa....that must have been a huge canoe because it was carrying all of my families guns, too! They don't make 'em like they used to.

 

[Blacksmoke]

IT could happen. If I were surveilling a group, their websites would be a logical choice.

 

[Lewis130]

If I were surveilling a group, their websites would be a logical choice.

Yea, most of us have our eyes on change.gov for example.

 

[Eyesac]

I only post pics of my guns after I wrap them in foil!

 

[MachIVshooter]

While I don't partake in the "show me all your guns" threads, I wouldn't worry too much about what can or can't be done with any images posted. Any one of us could pirate images from anywhere on the web or simply copy, edit and re-upload any picture from any site and it will show that it came from that user's IPA. IOW, there's really no way to prove or disprove that a poster does or does not own the guns they post pictures of. Even the ones that show the person actually firing the gun could be photoshopped for all anyone knows, and with a really good program, it would take a true expert to figure it out (and even then, maybe not). It's so easy to manipulate this stuff, and because of that none of it can be trusted.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Is the high road being infiltrated?

Put Leonard Cohen on 'repeat' singing Everybody Knows.

Welcome to the insanity of the hivemind in it's formative years using the tech training wheels of the internet to get rolling.

 

[rbernie]

I just find it offensive for some anonymous yuckapuck to insist that I take pictures of ANYTHING that I own, for him to drool over.

Bad form, that.

 

[22-rimfire]

I post no pictures of my guns. Never have. If you don't believe what I say, then that's your business. Guns come and go. What I have this year is different than what I had last year. Tis the nature of firearms. Some guns stay. I keep track of which gun purchased where the 4473 was completed as part of the sale. I also keep track from whom I buy from dealer or non-dealer. Cabonite knows everything.

 

[SuperNaut]

I'm more wary of the low post count noobs posting anti-NRA stuff. Almost as if members of some other organization/board decided to hit THR this month.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

I know THEY can track you by your IP or other ways I don't know about, but starting these threads in some of the most politically charged times is ironic.

These threads have been started almost every week on almost every gun forum since the these started popping up on the internet. It's not like they just started popping up.

Besides, as the sticky at the top of the board says, WE AREN'T DOING ANYTHING WRONG BY OWNING GUNS! There is no need to hide it. There is nothing of which to be ashamed. If you don't feel comfortable sharing what you own, then don't. But there's no reason to see it as anything other than it is.

Right now were in the calm before the storm, why give them info to use later?

Yeah, if someone was going to go after guns, this seem pretty straight forward:
1. Constantly monitor gun boards, spending hundreds of hours a week looking for people saying they own guns (be careful to filter out 16 year old mall ninjas and airsofters).
2. Record all the usernames and the guns they claim to own. Hope that they aren't making it up and haven't sold any guns since you made you list.
3. Get a warrant for the hosting provider to get the mysql databases.
4. Match up the posts with the IP addresses on the dates of the suspicious posts.
5. Get another warrant (or would it be a supoena duces tecum, you lawyer types?) for the ISP to give you the real name of the ip address that matches up at the time of the post, assuming they have it in their logs still because you've been secretly compiling this list for years. Hopefully, there weren't any proxy servers, then you'd need to subpoena the proxy logs too.
6. Then actually go after all of these people.

Or you could do what is more likely:

1. Get the 4473 forms.
or
1. Get the list of customers from whatever brick and mortar/online shop.
or
1. Get the NRA's member list.
or
1. Gun warranty registration lists.
or
1. CCW lists.
or
1. Get credit card records for those making frequent purchases at known gun dealers.
or
1. Any number of much easier ways to produce a list.
2. Go after these people.

 

[JImbothefiveth]

There's the possibility some of these guys are thieves, looking for guns to steal.

 

[wacki]

I'm more concerned with the psychotic "Obama isn't anti gun" posters on this forum.

 

[Tyris]

If the administrator of this board had half a brain he would be sending the logs straight to /dev/null or whatever the windows equivalent it.

-T