Doc M- Dense? Not so much. Civil and polite so far, yes. You cannot seem to engage in a conversation without resorting to insults. I hope that is not how you communicate with people when face to face.
Regardless, I will again respond to your statement. Whether CGN is made available to be read without registering or not, the fact remains that those inclined will still continue to misinterpret, misinform, and misquote whatever information they choose. These forms of manipulation continue regardless of what changes may happen here. Furthermore, anyone who does want to use the information on this site for malicious purposes can simply take the few minutes to register and then do so freely (as others have already pointed out). Those who are motivated to demean and prohibit Canada's firearm communities will not be put off by the registration process.
These malcontents are not who you should be worrying about, as there is no protection from them anyway. Making the site viewable does not open us to them; it opens us to those that may not have yet formed an opinion or those (I repeat) who are simply curious. These people will not take the time to register because they are not yet committed. Information is a powerful tool for change. I believe we would gain more supporters if people had the opportunity to browse the forums on impulse and see what a supportive and informative community we have here. What would be wrong with that?
It would appear from reading various posts that most are not happy about Canada’s present anti firearms climate. I, as I’m sure many here, do my best to speak positively about firearms and their use when met by skeptics in the real world. I set an example that firearm owners are regular and responsible people that contribute positively to their community. I grew up in the deep country where firearms were considering tools for survival, not weapons. Everyone had a few and every child who could walk knew how to prove them safe. I share this perspective with those I meet. More often then not because of how I answer their questions I am met with more positive interest. Of course these conversations are rare, but I always take the time when they come about.
I believe CGN could have the same positive influence if it was not invisible to Canadians simply searching for information on the internet. After all, there are many more people exploring the internet at any given moment, than any of us can hope to meet and chat with about firearms in a year.
Regardless of what happens, I will continue to profit from the wealth of information here. I just never understood why the forums were not viewable without registering and I still don’t. I think it is a loss. There are not many (if any other?) firearm websites in Canada. I would think CGN would be proud to take on the responsibility of being a nation’s meeting point and not be afraid of openly revealing itself as the positive community it is.
In the end, maybe I am simply 'Making a mountain out of a molehill."
Of course, I would still appreciate an explanatory answer from one of the moderators or even Greentips himself. So far I feel the majority of responses I have received are founded on paranoia and exclusivity, which I don’t feel are valid answers to the question I posed (or any question for that matter).
CGS- You raise a valid point. However, this forum is sponsored. Only Greentips himself can answer whether the site could handle the added bandwidth.
