# What is "Positive Gun News"? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 4, 2019, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675 "2019-09-04T12:32:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/101 "2019-09-05T11:48:34Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > OP should receive a warning for arguing in bad faith, let me be the umpteenth person to use the word “disingenuous” in this thread. If you accept that the positive gun news thread is a safe space for gun enthusiasts where any contrarian view is verboten. If you do not accept that premise there is nothing remotely disingenuous. Really, what is positive gun news? For me it would be: “Walmart stops selling ammunition for handguns, bans open carry in stores”. For someone else:”Homeowner shoots intruder”. There are arguments to be made for both these headlines being positive and there are arguments to see them as negative. That thread clearly needs a better title. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/102 "2019-09-05T11:59:10Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > I don’t know if I’d call it an embarrassment, but I will say this. I _wish_ I could have the level of “safe space” protection for [my recent thread about concentration camps](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=877382). Instead, we had [a level of trolling](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21716813&postcount=288) that leaves **Fear Itself** ’s statements about gun control in the dust (and yes, I _did_ in fact report it, and I’m pretty sure I DM’d some mods about it too, nobody cared), and [it continued until page 14](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21731197&postcount=660) (with no warning issued). This despite the fact that I set out the parameters of the discussion in _far_ greater detail than **Bone** did in his “positive gun news” thread: > > This went almost completely ignored. Which, at the time, I was disappointed about, but hey - it happens. Threads here _aren’t_ safe spaces, and telling people “please don’t disagree in this thread about issue X” isn’t something we generally do here. > > Except now I see that we _absolutely_ do that here. With certain subjects. :rolleyes: It’s almost like there are different rules in Elections than in other forums. Go figure. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/103 "2019-09-05T15:28:11Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > The warning, obviously, was for trolling. In [the ATMB thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=866665) you started about it, **manson** , you got some good and still highly relevant advice from **Colibri** : And that seems to me to be the point of this thread. What is “Positive Gun News” is solely at the discretion of moderators who use their moderating powers to chastise people who fail the “What moderators think Positive Gun News Is” test. Can I start a thread titled “Handsome Actor News” and then have moderators warn anyone who dares to post news about an Actor whom I don’t feel is Handsome? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/104 "2019-09-05T15:32:08Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > It should just be renamed “The Pro-Gun Cheerleading Thread” and left at that. That would at least be an accurate thread title. > [@MrDibble](#): > > Is it significant that the thread in question was started by a Mod? “Some animals are more equal than others”, kind of thing. Absolutely it matters. That thread is like **Bone** ’s personal little blog that no one can touch unless he says it’s okay. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/105 "2019-09-05T15:36:14Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > If you accept that the positive gun news thread is a safe space for gun enthusiasts where any contrarian view is verboten. > > If you do not accept that premise there is nothing remotely disingenuous. > > Really, what is positive gun news? > > For me it would be: “Walmart stops selling ammunition for handguns, bans open carry in stores”. > > For someone else:”Homeowner shoots intruder”. > > There are arguments to be made for both these headlines being positive and there are arguments to see them as negative. > That thread clearly needs a better title. Right now, there is a “Positive Abortion News Thread” in MPSIMS. It’s generally understood that it is a pro-choice thread. For a pro-lifer to go into that thread and post, “Great news, it looks like the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe!” and then, when accosted by the mods, reply in feigned shock - “What? To _ **me** _, that’s positive abortion news!” would be disingenuous. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/106 "2019-09-05T15:39:05Z")
This thread, I swear. Is it really so difficult to figure out the parameters of the thread? _Really?_ OK. The thread is about incidents where a gun was used that led to a positive outcome. 99.9% of the time this will involve guns being used to stop a criminal threat. This may involve deterrence (best case) or violence, perhaps lethal. It is in the spirit of the thread to discuss individual incidents, but it is not in the spirit to discuss general gun policy. “But wait!” you say “I need my internet outrage fix! How’m I supposed to get that sweet sweet dopamine rush?” Have I got good news for you, my friend! You can get your fix in the numerous other gun threads on this board. If you don’t like what you find, start your own. Wanna “debate” gun policy? There’s GD. Wanna call gun owners poopyheads? The pit is right this way. It’s win-win! ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/107 "2019-09-05T15:57:18Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > This thread, I swear. > > Is it really so difficult to figure out the parameters of the thread? _Really?_ OK. The thread is about incidents where a gun was used that led to a positive outcome. 99.9% of the time this will involve guns being used to stop a criminal threat. This may involve deterrence (best case) or violence, perhaps lethal. It is in the spirit of the thread to discuss individual incidents, but it is not in the spirit to discuss general gun policy. > > “But wait!” you say “I need my internet outrage fix! How’m I supposed to get that sweet sweet dopamine rush?” > > Have I got good news for you, my friend! You can get your fix in the numerous other gun threads on this board. If you don’t like what you find, start your own. Wanna “debate” gun policy? There’s GD. Wanna call gun owners poopyheads? The pit is right this way. > > It’s win-win! But I don’t wanna do it in other threads. I wanna do it in THIS ONE!!! Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/108 "2019-09-05T16:11:37Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > The thread is about incidents where a gun was used that led to a positive outcome. Begging the question. What makes an outcome “positive”? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/109 "2019-09-05T16:11:40Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > This thread, I swear. > > Is it really so difficult to figure out the parameters of the thread? _Really?_ OK. The thread is about incidents where a gun was used that led to a positive outcome. 99.9% of the time this will involve guns being used to stop a criminal threat. This may involve deterrence (best case) or violence, perhaps lethal. It is in the spirit of the thread to discuss individual incidents, but it is not in the spirit to discuss general gun policy. > > “But wait!” you say “I need my internet outrage fix! How’m I supposed to get that sweet sweet dopamine rush?” > > Have I got good news for you, my friend! You can get your fix in the numerous other gun threads on this board. If you don’t like what you find, start your own. Wanna “debate” gun policy? There’s GD. Wanna call gun owners poopyheads? The pit is right this way. > > It’s win-win! Can I request the same treatment for other topics? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/110 "2019-09-05T16:15:58Z")
I have posted a time or two in that thread, challenging whether a particular news item is really “positive” and have not received a warning nor any pushback from other thread participants. Maybe that’s because I’m trying not to be a dick about it. But it does raise (well, continue) the question of what is threadshitting, and when is reasonable discussion allowed in a thread. > [@BigT](#): > > I argue that both “Bad guy killed by a gun” and “gun user stopped by someone not using a gun” both count as positive gun news. See, this is the fundamental disagreement on the premise. If a guy with a gun breaks into another person’s house, and the homeowner has a gun, and the homeowner shoots and kills the burglar, here is a situation where a burglary and a death occurred that may not have occurred without the guns. I don’t see how that’s positive. If I am not allowed to post that opinion, then the thread has become an echo chamber. If the SDMB wants to support creating echo chambers for one side of controversial positions, then by all means state that as a policy so we know where you stand. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/111 "2019-09-05T16:17:20Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Begging the question. What makes an outcome “positive”? > [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Can I request the same treatment for other topics? You must be the worst people to play D&D with. In any event, I’ve made my point. I think it’s pretty clear and I’m not going to get dragged into a morass of nit-picking and rules-lawyering. Post as you want, and I’ll leave it to the mods to sort things out. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/112 "2019-09-05T16:26:00Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Is it significant that the thread in question was started by a Mod? “Some animals are more equal than others”, kind of thing. The thread was started before Bone was a moderator, he hasn’t posted in it for over a year, he never once has tried to influence how the thread is moderated and as far back as 2016 he mentions not posting as much anymore. In his own words on a previous thread about this thread: > [@](#): > > I wouldn’t say that’s fair actually. The thread was started in October of 2015. I became a Moderator on Nov 8, 2016. By that point there had been over 1100 posts with the same character of moderation throughout. > I could still very easily be posting additional examples on a daily basis, but around the time I was in discussion to be a Moderator, > I decided that it would be better for me to stop. > This was never discussed with Ed at the time, nor any of the MPSIMS mods. Though, before I became a Mod I did report a few posts here and there. The thing is, the reason I stopped posting regularly was as stated in the linked post, and also unstated was because i wanted to avoid the specific thing you are mentioning. To avoid putting the MPSIMS mods in any appearance of an awkward position, I thought it best to pull away from that thread. There are a lot of things I don’t post now for similar reasons. Objectivity in fact and appearance - it’s a personal goal. So no, the fact that Bone started the thread has nothing to do with it and he has not been involved in it even as a poster for quite some time. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/113 "2019-09-05T16:31:11Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Absolutely it matters. That thread is like **Bone** ’s personal little blog that no one can touch unless he says it’s okay. Then he is doing an awful job maintaining his personal little blog. Or maybe you have no idea what you are talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/114 "2019-09-05T16:32:39Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Then he is doing an awful job maintaining his personal little blog. Or maybe you have no idea what you are talking about. Insert failed quarry catchphrase here. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/115 "2019-09-05T16:44:11Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > If you accept that the positive gun news thread is a safe space for gun enthusiasts where any contrarian view is verboten. > > If you do not accept that premise there is nothing remotely disingenuous. > > Really, what is positive gun news? > > For me it would be: “Walmart stops selling ammunition for handguns, bans open carry in stores”. > > For someone else:”Homeowner shoots intruder”. > > There are arguments to be made for both these headlines being positive and there are arguments to see them as negative. > That thread clearly needs a better title. I agree… and when the thread-starters are allowed to cast a specific opinion as “positive” and by extension define the alternate opinion as “negative”, it is basically taking a side and/or reframing the debate through a sort of structural change. Right now, the presence of that thread strongly implies that “positive gun change” = gun control/confiscation is positive, and everything else is negative. Which is not how you run an ostensibly even-handed or neutral railroad, or get productive debate, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/116 "2019-09-05T17:22:49Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > But I don’t wanna do it in other threads. I wanna do it in THIS ONE!!! > > Regards, > Shodan It seems to me sometimes that a lot of threads in ATMB come down to that. 😃 > [@Loach](#): > > \ > > So no, the fact that Bone started the thread has nothing to do with it and he has not been involved in it even as a poster for quite some time. I pretty much figured that. As for the name I figure **Bone** can weigh in on that but if my memory is right a couple different firearms magazines ran a “positive gun news” column or a few stories now and then. Off the top of my head I am guessing they grew out of the NRAs “Armed Citizen” column. I actually like the name and feel its a good fit because it has covered more than just some citizen defending themselves against a bad guy. And like others I just don’t see where someone is honestly confused about what the thread is for. But heck - I guess anything is possible on the internet. And it has made this thread a rather interesting read. ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/117 "2019-09-05T17:30:17Z")
On consideration, I think it’s OK to post gun control stuff in the Positive Gun News of the Day thread. Similarly, it’s OK to post stories about people capping muggers and home invaders in the Positive Gun Control thread, because those gun owners exerted impeccable control over their weapons’ recoil when killing their assailants. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/118 "2019-09-05T17:33:02Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > On consideration, I think it’s OK to post gun control stuff in the Positive Gun News of the Day thread. Similarly, it’s OK to post stories about people capping muggers and home invaders in the Positive Gun Control thread, because those gun owners exerted impeccable control over their weapons’ recoil when killing their assailants. Oh no, we must maintain separate but equal safe spaces, so contrary viewpoints never have to encounter each other. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/119 "2019-09-05T17:40:45Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > On consideration, I think it’s OK to post gun control stuff in the Positive Gun News of the Day thread. Similarly, it’s OK to post stories about people capping muggers and home invaders in the Positive Gun Control thread, because those gun owners exerted impeccable control over their weapons’ recoil when killing their assailants. In that thread on positive gun control is this Mod Note: > [@](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > This is NOT yet another gun control debate thread. This thread is for positive gun control news only. If you wish to engage in a discussion of gun control, please do so in one of the many gun control threads we have in Great Debates. > > As with the positive gun news thread, you are free to discuss your opinions of whether any particular incident is really good or not, but do not threadshit. On consideration, do you want to reconsider? ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675/120 "2019-09-05T17:45:51Z")
No. If someone kills an assailant with a gun, that means they’ve exercised good _control_ over the gun. The story is thus a positive story about gun _control_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-positive-gun-news/839675.md?page=7)