So I was originally completely opposed to this like so many people that have chimed in. But a couple of things have occured to me after watching the dialogue and chatting with Jesse a bit more about it...
Those of us that have been active here that shoot and compete alot gravitated here due to frustration with OSA's lack of any real competition section, or the fact that any information we share regarding what we do/use/etc is generally deleted by the moderators over there in just a few weeks for whatever reason and is never available as a resource for those that could use it. And complaining about it can get you banned. That site is also unfortunately filled with a number of guys that might actually own guns but never shoot them. And like to talk about nothing, argue, stir up trouble, and sometimes post hateful, even racist things. It makes me sick to my stomach when I stumble across some of that stuff. And it makes me even sicker when I am associated with that kind of stuff because I like to shoot.
I have had a very interesting conversations with a number of non-gun people about the competition stuff I do and it is always VERY interesting to see what their initial perception of it is. Unfortunately, it is usually not as good as I would like it to be. I am a professional, and like to think of myself as a pretty stand-up guy, and I usually get lumped in with all these morons from the start because that is an outsiders perception of what a "shooter" or even just someone who owns a gun is like. Not only does that hurt my feelings, that perception hurts the shooting sports as well. I am not a political person at all, but anyone can see that those perceptions can also be harmful in today's climate as well.
Those of you who shoot alot, know that the exact opposite is true. I have competed in a number of other activities in my life, and I can definately say without hesitation that the people you meet at USPSA and 3 gun matches are from all walks of life and by far some of the nicest folks you will ever meet. Generally about the only drama you run into, is who gets to loan you their equipment first if you have a problem with yours. Real "shooters" are some of the finest people I have ever met.
Brandon and Jesse have created something pretty special here and it only stands to get better in my opinion. The best part of it is that real "shooters" have alot of direct input into how the site is developing. Here is how I think that applys to general discussion: Part of this site getting better, definately involves it getting larger. Done properly that grows the sport. We have enough people here that I think want this site to succeed and become all it can be. That other site unfortunately perpetuates the alot of the bad stereotypes about the shooting sports, as well as gives alot of the folks who fit into those bad stereotypes a place to call home.
Growing/sustaining the shooting sports in my opinion is about shifting the dynamic of how it is perceived by both non-gun people and the wannabe's. If this whole site, including GD is policed by enough real shooters to keep it on track then it COULD be a good thing. Ultimately it would be all of our responsibilitys to make sure that things stayed in the direction of intelligent conversation. REAL shooters are the minority by a mile. If we could set a standard, that might lead some of these guys to become more interested in being actual "shooters" versus just a guy with a gun. Which I don't think ultimately any of us want to be defined as.