Man Starts 'Gunbook' Social Media Site After His Gun-Loving Friends Were Kicked Off Facebook (buzzfeed.com)

CaptainDork shares a report from BuzzFeed: A British gun enthusiast whose friends were banned from Facebook for posting pictures of firearms has started his own version of the site for gun lovers. Called Gunbook, it was set up by David Scott, a 57-year-old shooting instructor who lives in Kilsyth, 20 miles from Dunblane. It went live three weeks ago and he says it already has more than 1,000 members, around 60 of whom are from the U.S. Scott admitted that part of the attraction of the site for members was that they could post about their love of deadly weapons without being judged by family and friends. "Quite a lot want to talk about guns and shooting and target shooting and their families can see and often people comment. Gunbook is the place where people can talk about guns without their families seeing because a lot of people have got anti-shooting and anti-hunting friends on these sites."

Many of the profile pictures on the site show people standing in striking poses with guns -- or are simply a picture of their arsenal. And just like any other social media platform, much of the content that has quickly populated the Facebook clone ends up being videos and memes. In contrast, his site is loosely controlled and encourages a community around gun ownership. It has two admins but reassures users in a Q&A on the site that "they will generally just leave you all to get on with things." It adds later that "they will never interfere [in a group] unless a post gets reported and even then only racist and really dodgy ones will get looked at if reported. Please do NOT upload porn videos to our servers though ;0."

Comments

How to get robbed 101

[cordovaCon83]

1) Post a geo-cached photo of where you keep your guns. 2) There is no step 2.

Re:How to get robbed 101

[Solandri]

Texas is #1 only because it has a large population. If you combine the data in your first link with a list of state populations and rates of gun ownership, and calculate the number of guns stolen per owner ( (# of guns stolen) / (state population * % who are owners) ), Texas is 17th, and is statistically almost exactly at the national average (35.9% of Texans own guns vs 32.1% for the U.S., and 0.18% have a gun stolen or 1.03x the national rate). The District of Columbia ends up topping the list with a theft rate a staggering 162 times the U.S. national average.

The huge deviation of DC from the national average (29.3% of DC gun owners have a gun stolen vs 0.18% for the nation) makes me think gun theft is primarily a problem in urban areas, not rural. Further supporting this hypothesis is that Alaska, Montana, Idaho, and North and South Dakota all have gun ownership rates over 50%, but their rate of guns stolen is below the national average.

Also, the low rate for gun theft nationwide (0.18% per owner per year, vs 0.47% burglaries and 1.75% larceny) makes me think outside of certain cities, gun theft is not really a serious issue, and is more incidental property theft rather than targeted, and for the most part gun owners do a pretty good job keeping their guns safe from theft.

Rank State Guns_stolen Poplation %_owners Owner_pop Rate_stolen Times_national_average
1 DC 7,324 693,972 3.6% 24,983 29.32% 161.79
2 Georgia 12,906 10,429,379 40.3% 4,203,040 0.31% 1.69
3 New Mexico 2,198 2,088,070 34.8% 726,648 0.30% 1.67
4 Oklahoma 4,695 3,930,864 42.9% 1,686,341 0.28% 1.54
5 South Carolina 5,839 5,024,369 42.3% 2,125,308 0.27% 1.52
6 Louisiana 5,163 4,684,333 44.1% 2,065,791 0.25% 1.38
7 Arizona 5,431 7,016,270 31.1% 2,182,060 0.25% 1.37
8 Arkansas 4,091 3,004,279 55.3% 1,661,366 0.25% 1.36
9 Florida 12,571 20,984,400 24.5% 5,141,178 0.24% 1.35
10 Alabama 6,084 4,874,747 51.7% 2,520,244 0.24% 1.33
11 Nevada 2,288 2,998,039 33.8% 1,013,337 0.23% 1.25
12 North Carolina 9,320 10,273,419 41.3% 4,242,922 0.22% 1.21
13 Mississippi 3,439 2,984,100 55.3% 1,650,207 0.21% 1.15
14 Tennessee 6,101 6,715,984 43.9% 2,948,317 0.21% 1.14
15 Washington 5,053 7,405,743 33.1% 2,451,301 0.21% 1.14
16 West Virginia 1,966 1,815,857 55.4% 1,005,985 0.20% 1.08
17 Texas 18,874 28,304,596 35.9% 10,161,350 0.19% 1.03
18 Indiana 4,774 6,666,818 39.1% 2,606,726 0.18% 1.01
19 Missouri 4,662 6,113,532 41.7% 2,549,343 0.18% 1.01
20 Ohio 6,860 11,658,609 32.4% 3,777,389 0.18% 1.00
21 Kentucky 3,719 4,454,189 47.7% 2,124,648 0.18% 0.97
22 Alaska 717 739,795 57.8% 427,602 0.17% 0.93
23 Rhode Island 226 1,059,639 12.8% 135,634 0.17% 0.92
24 Connecticut 974 3,588,184 16.7% 599,227 0.16% 0.90
25 Hawaii 148 1,427,538 6.7% 95,645 0.15% 0.85
26 Maryland 1,964 6,052,177 21.3% 1,289,114 0.15% 0.84
27 Oregon 2491 4,142,776 39.8% 1,648,825 0.15% 0.83
28 Montana 911 1,050,493 57.7% 606,134 0.15% 0.83
29 Pennsylvania 6,566 12,805,537 34.7% 4,443,521 0.15% 0.82
30 Kansas 1,788 2,913,123 42.1% 1,226,425 0.15% 0.80
31 New Jersey 1,604 9,005,644 12.3% 1,107,694 0.14% 0.80
32 Delaware 344 961,939 25.5% 245,294 0.14% 0.77
33 Virginia 4,062 8,470,020 35.1% 2,972,977 0.14% 0.75
34 Colorado 2,609 5,607,154 34.7% 1,945,682 0.13% 0.74
35 Michigan 4,962 9,962,311 38.4% 3,825,527 0.13% 0.72
36 Illinois 3,302 12,802,023 20.2% 2,586,009 0.13% 0.70
37 California 10,639 39,536,653 21.3% 8,421,307 0.13% 0.70
38 Idaho 1,087 1,716,943 55.3% 949,469 0.11% 0.63
39 Vermont 298 623,657 42.0% 261,936 0.11% 0.63
40 New Hampshire 435 1,342,795 30.0% 402,839 0.11% 0.60

This is extremely good development.

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

It is just a matter of time before we liberals win the election. At that time when we want to come grab your guns, it is nearly impossible. Because Republicans have placed so many restrictions in government keeping track of gun obsessed fanatics that do not simply obey our commandments.

Now! with this Gunbook all those people who must be put down ruthlessly to make sure our Liberalism, Globalism and the Third World Order go unchallenged will be self identified! Our task has been made so much simpler.

Thank you Gunbook. Wait!

It is from the UK, the bastion of obedience and cradle to grave welfare state where we vote ourselves benefits paid for by taxing the idle rich. Is it possible this Gunbook was actually created by my comrade in arms? Is it a Flase Flag operation? Have I blabbered too much and gave the game away? OMG! What have I done!

Re:Gun nuts

[Major Blud]

They think their peashooters are going to protect them from a "rogue Federal government".

Funny these guys didn't get that memo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Re:Gun advocates heads explode

[mjwx]

As they find out that guns aren't in fact banned in the UK.

Just imagine what will happen when they find out guns aren't necessary for self defence here in the UK because we haven't armed criminals to the teeth.

The biggest criminal risk at the moment are people on mopeds stealing phoned out of the hands of those not paying attention.

Guns are owned in the UK for mostly recreational purposes, which is fine with the overwhelming majority of Britons. You need a license, safe place to store it and a place to use it... and Volia... you can have a gun.

Re:Gun owners in North America have the same probl

[Luthair]

Youtube is demonitizing them because advertisers don't want to be associated with it.

Re:Gun nuts

[drinkypoo]

Gun nuts are funny people.

Anti-gun nuts are children, lost in a world of confusing realities and apparent contradictions.

They think their peashooters are going to protect them from a "rogue Federal government".

Yeah, what a dumb idea! That's never had the slightest effect on US policy, except in Afghanistan, Iraq, Viet Nam...

Tell me guys, when are you going to start doing that? I would love to hear the plan for your well regulated militia you are going to form (soon).

The authors of the second amendment stated in no uncertain terms that the purpose of the 2a was to avoid the need for a standing militia because they knew such an instrument was harmful to freedom both foreign and domestic. George Washington, who the natives knew as "Town Killer" for his massacres, decided we needed a standing military and the rest is the history of American imperialism. If you look in a dictionary of the day, you will not find "rules and regulations" as a meaning for regulated, which came later. What it meant was "working correctly" or "working on time" — a regulator is a device for making an machine run at a given speed, and this is the contemporary sense.

Gun violence is actually falling as more guns are sold, and percentage of gun ownership remains roughly constant. But you're being sold a lie about it in order to support taking guns away from as many people as possible. That few guns are grabbed is due only to effective resistance. The ACLU doesn't give one shit about self-defense, which is the only reason the NRA even exists. If I had a dollar for every gun owner who's said "the NRA is crap but I need range insurance if I want to shoot" or "I don't agree with everything they say but nobody else is looking out for my rights" I could start my own goddamned NRA, with blackjack and hookers. By refusing to support the second amendment, the ACLU effectively created the NRA. Yes, the NRA predates the ACLU, but it wasn't always this kind of political powerhouse.

Re:Gun owners in North America have the same probl

[Austerity Empowers]

The risk here that people who support gun-rights should fear most is exactly what is happening with their extreme stance on guns: public support will evaporate, and they WILL be taken away. Once taken away, it's gone forever, we all know that. I have no problems with gun or gun ownership for mentally stable adults with no criminal record, who have been trained on how to handle and care for guns, and who are willing to take responsibility for them and own the consequences. I share their distrust of government, and particularly the people who buy our government and set its laws and policies. We absolutely should be armed. But not all of us.

The complete abdication of responsibility in favor of total devotion to the second amendment is going to result in them being removed, one way or another. It doesn't seem like it right now, the NRA is still strong and the currently installed government is favorable, but what may not be seen clearly is how tenuous that position is, that much of this government was installed with the bare minimum of popular support, and that on this particular issue, one of many, may not actually be that popular even amongst their own.

The NRA is failing everyone right now, and Facebook is one of a multitude of examples of that. The NRA should be acting as a steward, being the voice of reason that champions gun rights by making sure they're well and properly used. That the people most likely to misuse and abuse their rights are restricted from gun ownership. They ought to be researching and offering solutions to help ensure that gun owners are going to be the best and safest examples of what an armed populace could be. Taking a hard-line, extreme, no tolerance stance on gun control is ultimately going to be self-defeating. And we are watching it happen in slow motion.

History

[gDLL]

In my country the last free men that fought the communists/NKVD were the armed ones. And they lasted for years in the forrests. Some of us look up to them and would do the same, and some of us are little spineless dogfemales that have no problem living in chains and should tilt their eyes down when the adults are talking.

Re:Gun owners in North America have the same probl

[JudgeFurious]

Oh, almost forgot. Capitalism hasn't had any effect on arming teachers in Texas. There are already over 150 school districts where this is allowed and no insurance companies have bothered to intervene in this at all. There a bunch of reasons for that but basically it comes down to CHL holders being safer and more law abiding than even police officers.

Re:Who cares

[Opportunist]

Actually, it is. Think of the implication: As Facebook (and other social media sites) are "banning" certain topics, these topics will migrate to other platforms or, like in this example, a new platform for this topic will emerge.

The established social media platforms will have to decide between losing customers to "special interest" platforms, and in turn lose influence and money, or they will have to stop caving in every time someone whines about a huwt widdle feeling because someone was allowed to talk about something.

Capitalism dictates how they'll have to decide. This could become quite interesting quite soon.

Re: How to get SHOT 101

[Type44Q]

I know just enough to know that one should use the right caliber for the right job and that the tactical advantage of having a gun is lost as soon as someone is aware that you do in fact have a gun.

Right, because the only way to utilize a gun is as a deterrent; it's not as if they shoot real bullets or anything.

Got any other meaningless ramblings you'd care to discharge?

Re: How to get SHOT 101

[Anonymous Coward]

I think it's hilarious that certain people think that the voters voted for Trump rather than against Hillary. If the DNC establishment hadn't rigged the primary in favor of her, or run an even borderline competent campaign, we probably wouldn't have a President Trump.

Instead, they chose to disenfranchise a huge number of Democrats, chose a shitty right wing Democrat as a running mate, made absolutely no effort whatsoever to win over the Sanders wing of the party, promised absolutely nothing to the voters and couldn't be bothered to campaign in certain states that shockingly enough weren't enthusiastic enough about her to show up to vote.

The real amazing thing here is that there are people who still can't figure out why she lost. I personally think the only mystery is how she managed to win the popular vote despite being the most corrupt and hated candidate of all time.

Nice. Very nice. Like it. (No joke!)

[Qbertino]

This is *EXACTLY* how the internet we all want should work.

Don't like the commercial forum? Quit whining and set up your own with likeminded people.
This guys actually deserves some credit for not whining around but actually doing something. .... Wow, check it out, I'm a continental Eurohippster actually siding with a working-class gun-enthusiast on this one. ... *mindflash*

This is what was so cool about the iNet back in 2001 and why we all love slashdot.

Re:How to get SHOT 101

[tehcyder]

put a rock through their car window while they are in the grocery store

It's in my holster, with me inside the grocery store. And if I spot you doing that to another car, I'll see your rock and raise you a .357 Magnum round.

Could you tell me where you live where it's legal to murder someone because you see them carrying out a minor crime?

So I can avoid it like the plague.

Re:Gun advocates heads explode

[Kernel Kurtz]

Just imagine what will happen when they find out guns aren't necessary for self defence here in the UK because we haven't armed criminals to the teeth.

Pretty much how I feel in here Canada. I own guns, and accept we have strict controls on them. I don't live for my guns so I don't obsess over it.

If I lived somewhere that I felt I needed to carry a gun to be safe, I would move.

But to each their own.

False equivalanccy fallacy.

[aepervius]

Car are made for transportation , knife mostly to cut material invented and perfected as a hunting tool before even being for hunting warfare. Gun were invented for a sole reason : killing. Your technicality "he main purpose of a gun, technically, isn't to kill, but to eject a projectile out at high velocity" is the most stupid thing I heard. There may be a *limited* sport & hunting usage we have now, but the majority of the usage , gun birth & evolution, and cartridge evolution was to maim and kill, why do you think 5.56 nato was made ? Or semi automatic/full auto ? or even the first guns ? Hint : it was not sport or fun. It was all warfare.

As for the stupid NRA "pool and car also kill" yes they kill and in absolute number car even kill more, but that is ignoring how pervasive car are in cities, street and how much part of our life they take - and we increase security and lower the number of death per year. Gun by comparison are not so pervasive, take little part of our life and yet kill nearly as many people as car, and murder take a significant slice of it. And gun are perfected every year to be better more reliant killing machine. The comparison is so stupid to many level, you are either from the NRA, or a "useful idiot" to them. You may as well compare orange and jug of methanol (not even orange to apple). When I worked in research we had a name for such comparison : "it isn't right, but it ain't even wrong - it is just plain stupid".

Re:How to get SHOT 101

[stealth_finger]

Idiocracy is not a how-to video.

The Brits don't need a how-to video, they're so incompetent they still don't understand why they lost their empire.

As opposed to the incompetent Americans that don't understand why they can't have one.

Re: How to get SHOT 101

[toadlife]

...the modern Democrat party.

It's the Democratic party.

The political circles one runs in are exposed by the usage of that pejorative term.

Actually that's not too far from the truth

[rsilvergun]

even with mountains of training cops accidentally shoot people all the time. Throw somebody with little or no training outside of weekly target practice in an active shooter situation and they're probably going to screw up. I remember when Gabriel Giffords got shot. There was a 'good guy with a gun' on site but he didn't draw. When asked why he said he couldn't figure out who the shooter was and was afraid he'd shoot the wrong person or get shot himself by another "good guy with a gun".

One of the late night comedy hosts did a skit once (Colbert or Oliver, can't remember which) where they staged an active shooter scenario with regular people and pain bullets. The people in question knew what was going to happen and they still couldn't stop the shooter.