Are the contents of these forums public or private (only visible to USCCA members)? Even if private, could they somehow still be used against you?
I ask because I have seen some interesting things on here that, in the event an investigation started, responses and posts can be used to build a negative image of person. Like someone trying to prove that he or she took the necessary measures before resorting to shooting meanwhile they are seen driving around with a sticker that states “shoot first and ask questions later.”
Right, not a good thing to display or talk about. Plus, you won’t get many answers.
Depending on your sight picture and ability to double tap judiciously.
There has been NO privacy since the advent of Facebook.
In other words, anything you say can and will be used against you.
This is the United States of America, if you have a cold or fever you can’t buy paint. If you don’t wear a mask you’ll be ripped off public transportation, and if you dare to exercise your religious freedom, well soon it will be considered lawless .
At this point I don’t think privacy is our problem. This has the great potential to go sideways.
The funniest thing to me, those very same Americans running for the guns, voted for the Americans, who are making it so hard to acquire said guns!
IMO, greatest joke in modern history.
Each of us is awarded one or more “badges.” Click on the three horizontal bars in the upper right hand corner of your screen and select “badges” to see all of yours.
One of those badges is awarded to USCCA Members, so I would say no, this forum is not private.
If it is accessible on the internet it is not private and could be used against you.
Even if it is encrypted (which this community is not) it can be used against you.
This community is open to EVERYONE not just USCCA members. Yes that means anyone can join and post unless banned (temp or perm) by a Moderator (or possible only @Dawn I am unsure).
All views are welcome as long as they are respectful.
If I got any part of this wrong please @Dawn or @Zee correct me.
The purpose of the Community is to provide a place to learn about how to best protect yourself and your loved ones and talk with respectful like-minded (and not-like minded) individuals to learn from each other.
The Community is completely public, except for private messages.
Please remember, the what-if scenarios are here to help you think about how you would best protect yourselves, not to be a keyboard warrior (you’ll see me making comments about what you post on social media when the keyboard warrior comments come out).
@AK1763 - ANY public or private post can be used against you in court. There are computer specialists that can get all of the information you’ve posted online - even after it’s been deleted.
You can recover from a bad comment, but it will just make it that much harder on your legal defense if it ever comes to that.
There is a saying that originated !ing before the internet age but it applies more now than ever. “Say it, forget it. Write it, regret it.”
Writing includes anything posted on the net; anything, anytime, any platform, any context. Words, photos, videos, etc. It is safest to assume that anything you post will be seen by others, including the people you really don’t want seeing it.
Nothing here is private or untraceable back to you, especially if the FBI or police want it. Don’t talk about stuff you wouldn’t say out loud to a cop.
That’s what lawyers are for. Reinterpret what was written, or said, if most prosecutors can prosecute a ham sandwich, then a good defense lawyer can and should be able to turn that ham sandwich into an Easter dinner.
You’re right, this is not an admission, but I’m a done deal. I write what I feel without the intent of offending or causing harm.
I never thought expressing ones feelings was against the law, I grew up with free speech with the exception that screaming fire in a crowded theater was dangerous. That was common sense.
However, now MAGA is like dropping the F-bomb in church. How does that work and how are we supposed to feel? Obviously I would never drop that F-bomb, but if I can’t wear an NRA shirt or new logo USCCA shirt in public, whose free speech rights are being violated now. Who is the arbiter of hate speech? What defines hate speech? Didn’t Maxine Waters in essence scream fire in a crowded theater when she expressed her views. She didn’t write it down but it was filmed, hence documented.
Is the penalty for inciting a riot different from causing panic or offending someone’s feelings. I’m of the philosophy that if you can’t say it to someones face in public, you shouldn’t type it in private??? We all have a right to voice an opinion and everything I have written hear has been an opinion, that’s for the record.
I’ll take the 5th on any photos divulged here.
Best line in a move ever possibly applies here 2007 SHOOTER, …”maybe I should wait for the report to come out, read it and then remember.”
@Scott52, I am in no way advising that you can’t or shouldn’t speak your mind here or anywhere else. What I am saying is that in any public place it is important to use care in how you express yourself.
In my own life I have needlessly antagonized people through my word choice and demeanor more so than with my ideas themselves. Words matter and can come back to bite you no matter how reasonably you meant them.
That said, I agree with you in thinking that ‘political correctness’ and ‘hate speech’ and ‘micro agressions’ have gotten way off the rails, much to the detriment of free speech and the open exchange of ideas. But let’s not forget that the right to speak, like all other rights,comes with resposibilities. When we choose to speak we tacitly accept responsibility for the consequences of our speech. This is when how you say something is just as important as what is being said.
The trick I find (and I totally agree with you) in writing is how to express the meaning and how others will define what you write. Example:
You’re a bad dude or you’re a baaaad dude or you’re a BAD dude. You can’t tell which of those is an expression of offense! None of those statements is an offense, however as soon as I quote the media and use the word “Liberal” I have suddenly become a racist.
As soon a I mention the word “gun” I’m perceived as an old white guy racist, it’s inescapable.
Political correctness is obliterating & decimating the Constitution.
This last sentence was an effort to not use the word “kill”.
When men spoke their minds they formed a Constitution, I can’t imagine the conversations that took place. If political correctness existed during that period you and I would not be speaking.
I still agree with you that speech and how it is expressed is a responsibility of the speaker.
Best example when, the president, recently overstated his authority. Nearly knocked me out of my chair.
Hope you are healthy and safe and we all come through this without the revolution.
