Why was the thread "tax stamps" closed?

[bripro]

I was learning from it and starting to consider getting copies of my approved form to keep with the rifle. I like hearing everyones take on a subject then drawing my own conclusion. I guess someone figured I have all the info I need and closed it. Respectfully asking why??

[scruff]

Apparently because it's already been discussed in the 8-yr history of poofa. Not sure why that's such a problem. Traffic is way down on the site, so it seems shortsighted to close threads that people are still participating in. And as noted many times, "you don't have to click on the thread". If thread clutter was such a problem, we'd go after users who bump their classified ads 50, 100 times. Those are a bigger bandwidth hog, and are much less interesting, than a thread like this.

[GunLawyer001]

I believe it was in the wrong forum (the "general" forum rather than an NFA-specific forum); the problem is less about being a duplicate of a bunch of others (it was), the problem is more about knowledgeable individuals not finding it, and asking them to repeat answers they've given a bunch of times before.

When you're lazy and start a new thread to ask what's been answered already, the risk is that the guys with the right answers will take a pass, leaving a PAFOA thread full of bad info. Is that the worst thing in the world? Nope, but neither is having a duplicate thread closed. So on balance, it's better to have fewer threads with correct in of, than a bunch of overlapping threads where the correct info isn't finding its way into every last one.

People come here for good info, not for well-meant opinions from those who are guessing. Asking the same question a dozen times pushes us toward the latter.

[Emptymag]

A small blurb explaining the closure would have been beneficial.
I was reading and wondered WTF happened too.

Merge it with an existing thread topic (if that was the case) or close it with an "Already being discussed" note. A link would be helpful as well, but that would require the time to find the existing thread - but one would think that if you knew there WAS an existing thread a link wouldn't be so hard to provide.


Silently locking threads is lazy moderation. I know - I've done it.


EDIT: I can't believe it was closed because it was in the wrong subforum. If it was, that's even worse because the staff can move it where it does belong, which is even easier than finding a link.

[USMC3531]

it was drifting off course into other topics, last post I read was something like "sawed off shotguns" are prohibited offensive weapons and you must show papers to anyone that asks or it will be a big hassle

[bogey1]

it was drifting off course into other topics, last post I read was something like "sawed off shotguns" are prohibited offensive weapons and you must show papers to anyone that asks or it will be a big hassle

This is why we have moderators. To get it back on topic. Just shutting it down isn't moderating. As em said, its lazy moderation.

[Gunsnwater]

On a side note I think EM coined a new term, lazy moderation. I think it fits the public in general and is why we have the government we have.

[normanvin]

A small blurb explaining the closure would have been beneficial.
I was reading and wondered WTF happened too.

Merge it with an existing thread topic (if that was the case) or close it with an "Already being discussed" note. A link would be helpful as well, but that would require the time to find the existing thread - but one would think that if you knew there WAS an existing thread a link wouldn't be so hard to provide.


Silently locking threads is lazy moderation. I know - I've done it.


EDIT: I can't believe it was closed because it was in the wrong subforum. If it was, that's even worse because the staff can move it where it does belong, which is even easier than finding a link.

Tried to rep. must spread the love.

[phillyd2]

Got him.

[ungawa]

I flagged it and demanded it be closed.

We tried to help, we encouraged referring to the proper forum, but some people just didn't want to bother at that moment. And they know better. Ask them for you NFA needs, at your peril.

BTW, there are people here in this very thread that need to read up. It's all here, don't screw around.