Studying The High Road

THR comment

I used to frequent calguns but especially before the election I found the political ranting to be more than I could stand as well as an over abundance of put downs and flaming.
I appreciate that the mods here won't put up with that kind of negative behavour.
I enjoy THR because all of us here have the appreciation of our right to bear arms, the feel of a finely made gun in our hands and the peace of mind of the ability to put food on the table as well as protect our loved ones.

Pros-
-like minded individuals for the most part.
-open ended discussions organized well.
-communication with others who have same values and experiences.
-education from those wore knowledgeable.
-information which pertains to the 2nd ammendment and gun rights.
-firearms information and reviews towards new purchases.
-information regarding pricing and sales of ammunition, firearms, and accesories.
-different fields focusing on seperate firearms specifically for a narrow focus and pertanent information.

Do you shoot? Are you interested in firearms? There is a collective knowledge here that a newbie or experienced person can draw from. This particular forum holds members to a higher standard of conduct. Mods can't stop all the flaming but will put out fires before they escalate.
I come here for questions and other sites for classifieds.

That is a good question. Give us a little of your background?

Quote .. bachelors degree in Anthropology You don't say?

He talks about himself in his first post in the introduction thread. He's a shooter.

bachelors degree in Anthropology You don't say?

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I know where this is heading

What are you researching? Its purpose. Why us?

Folks, this is not a drive-by posting. Staff was consulted prior and we agreed to allow the research project.

Participate as you desire.

I'll go on the record to say that I just sent Dr. Jones a PM offering my assistance.

Guys, let's be welcoming and helpful. Aside from anything else, we can use good PR right now.

Al Thompson said:

Folks, this is not a drive-by posting. Staff was consulted prior and we agreed to allow the research project.

Participate as you desire.

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The concern is how will the research be used. While staff may know what the research is about the subjects should be fully informed of all aspects of said research. All participants must be informed prior to particpation.

Valid point. Dr. Jones?

Also, This project is purely for in class academic purposes. It will not be published. It will not be available outside of the class. Anonymity is a priority in all ethnographic research and this is no exception.

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Not a Dr. yet, but hopefully and a good guy!

*Anthropology: the study of humans, past and present.

I thought this was a prelude to trolling but the moderators say it's legit..
OP you can PM me for a phone # if you need more participation.

I have had 2 reporters from the NE (telltale accent) pretend to be customers.
Both were trying to bait me. Originally thought this thread was going that way

My wife is a NorthTexan, and I'm pretty local - maybe we can chat....

I frequent THR for a variety of different reasons. A lot of other gun forums aren't regulated the way this one is. For example on other forums I have found: Threads get waaaay out of hand. There is too much chest thumping and cursing other members. They are very specific to a certain geographic area or type/manufacturer of a particular firearm.

On THR however, there is a general sense of community. I'm ex-military and a current LEO and there are many member on here that are the same. The members who aren't still share a common bond with me, the love of firearms. Here if you ask a question, you won't be ridiculed for it (maybe a little friendly ribbing, but that's it) and at the end of the day, you will have A LOT of good answers for your question. Because of my line of work, I can't hang out at a local gun store/firing range all day waiting for like-minded people to show up to talk with. I log on to the THR on my phone, and when I get a break I scroll through some threads. I've been a member here for about a year, and before that I read the threads just as often as I do now. I don't post often, but I really don't have to because my post would just be a repeat of a previous one.
A good example of our community here is a thread that I saw about a month ago. A member posted that he would purchase an NRA membership for a member that was for one reason or another not able too. Many other member jumped on the thread and offered to do the same. It was really a very incredible gesture made by people who, for the most part, have never met face to face.
I guess at the end of the day I come here because:
Good people
Good sense of community
Convenience
Very knowledgeable, friendly members

<Cousteau Voice>We enter thees wondrous and beautiful world that is so strange to us. What will we find, the Common Fudd? Friendly Advocate? Or more dangerous creatures, such es thee Spiny Curmudgeon and Tacticalled Ninjoid? Come join us on our voyaage of deescovery.<Cousteau Voice off>

I'll bite. A PM will be coming in seconds.

Would be able to speak on phone. Will be home today. PM me with a phone # & I will call. Give time to call
Thanks.

Dr. J0NES, I'm curious what the "zero" denotes in "J0NES"?

I'd love to participate in your ethnographic survey, but simply don't have enough data about your research paper to realize how our participation will fit in, and to what end?

I'm a bit of a stickler for details, especially when divisive subject matter is used.

May you be forthcoming with specifics, so I may make a well informed decision?

EDIT: On second thought, never mind.

I would really like to know; which aspects of this community you find most valuable, what does this community offer that isn't found in brick and mortar communities, and what does THR offer over other online communities.

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It offers an invaluable window into the larger gun owning community around the nation and even overseas. Prior to TFL/THR, the gun boards tended to be special purpose or overrun with trolls. There has always been local face-to-face contact with other gun owners and shooting buddies at the range, but this was by its nature limited to people in your area. There wasn't the same sense of a larger community. You could write letters to gun mags I suppose, but that technology was a lot clunkier.

The access to technical information is also invaluable. Obviously there's no editorial function here so you can't be certain if you're getting correct information, but there's a kind of "wiki" effect when enough posters weigh in on a question. You can browse through any number of "what is this firearm" or "how do I fix this" threads to see the process operate. And in the end the consensus answers tend to be spot on. And over the years we've learned whom to trust (Old Fluff) and whom to question (me).

So for example I recently picked up a transitional Snider Enfield in .577 Snider. I was able to obtain a great deal of information in forum searches and even several sources for components. I can see if someone had problems in the past and what the fixes were. There are limits to THR's specificity when it comes to more arcane topics, but usually you can find links to specialty forums where questions can be answered in even greater detail.

DrJ0NES said:

Also for any members or moderators in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area I would jump at the opportunity to buy you a cup of joe or a brew and chat about THR face to face.

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Make that a single malt and I'll join you!

Actually, I am from North Carolina but spend a LOT of time in Texas so perhaps could give you some observations about both states.

However, as others have mentioned, I'd like to see more specifics about your study.

I live in the DFW area. Go ahead and PM me.