Discord Rules and Community Guidelines

We are a leftist, community-focused firearms education organization. These rules exist to minimize legal risk, uphold Discord’s Terms of Service (to prevent possible shutdown), and maintain a safe, respectful environment for members. Our risk increases the more we diverge from focusing on our goal of providing high quality, respectful firearms training, and we appreciate your help in minimizing that risk.

1. 🚨 High Priority Rules (Immediate Risk to Org or Platform)

1.1. Illegal or Prohibited Content

  • Do not post or encourage any content that is illegal under:
    • U.S. federal law
    • Washington State law
    • Discord’s Terms of Service
  • This includes, but is not limited to:
    • Confessing to, detailing, or soliciting illegal acts
      • e.g., manufacturing firearms, import or sale of high-capacity magazines or assault weapons in WA, drug use (including cannabis)
    • Promoting criminal activity
    • Buying/selling/trading firearms or parts (Discord ToS)
      • ❗ Exceptions: Accessories like holsters, slings, optics are allowed.
  • Oblique or veiled references to illegal activity (“in Minecraft” e.g.) will not be tolerated.

1.2. Violence and Threats

  • Do not make direct threats of violence toward any specific, identifiable, living individuals.
  • Do not post threats toward specific organizations or bodies (e.g., the DNC).
  • Expressions of systemic critique are permitted (e.g., landlords, slaveowners), but must not cross into incitement.
  • Veiled references to violence will not be tolerated.

1.3. Avoid Time-Sensitive or “Direct Action” or News Content

As a government recognized 501c4 non-profit organization providing firearms training for leftists, we will greatly increase our risk if we end up being perceived as associated with direct action. We additionally try very hard to strictly focus on information directly related to our mission to allow our members to control their news and alert intake. Therefore, do not post:

  • Live or time-sensitive reports about enforcement actions or government activity.
    • Could be construed as a call to action, reporting on these specifics is not in scope for our goals as an organization, and creates risk of us being associated with direct action
  • Current events not directly related to firearms training or equipment, i.e., almost all news posts.
    • We believe in “opting in” to receive news, and it is usually not relevant to our goals of providing high quality firearms training

1.4. Operational Security (OpSec)

  • Assume all communications are compromised.
  • Practice good digital security hygiene: https://ssd.eff.org
  • Do not publish, comment, message, or post personally identifiable information about other users.
  • We also strongly discourage posting any personally identifiable information about yourself.

1.5. Legal Advice Disclaimer

  • No one here can or should provide legal advice.
  • If someone does offer it, you should not rely on it.
  • Consult a qualified lawyer for your specific legal situation.
  • Linking to reliable external resources is welcome, but avoid interpreting the law or applying it to individual circumstances.

2. 🔒 Community Safety & Mental Health

2.1. Harassment and Abuse

  • No harassment, bullying, insults, or targeted attacks — public or private.
  • “Ironic” bigotry is still bigotry.
  • If you feel unsafe, contact a moderator or the Membership Welfare Committee (MWC) immediately. No matter who you are, if you feel you have been or are being harassed or made uncomfortable by a community member, please contact a moderator or member of leadership immediately.
  • If someone within leadership has made you feel this way, please reach out to an admin or the Membership Welfare Committee (MWC). We care about making this community a safe place.

2.2. Mental Health Crises

  • This is not a mental health service.
  • Posts about active mental health crises will be removed. Our leadership team is not equipped to provide mental healthcare, and others can be harmed/triggered.
  • If you need help:

2.3. No Explicit or NSFW Content

  • This server is safe-for-work.
  • No nudity or sexually explicit material.
  • Offending content will be removed and followed up with the poster.
  • Repeat violations will result in loss of “Toucher of Grass” role (i.e. access to social channels), posting privileges, or membership.

3. 💻 Platform Discipline and Conduct

3.1. Behavior Expectations

  • Be kind. Remember the human.
  • Do not engage in:
  • Keep discussion focused and collaborative:
    • Stay on topic and contribute constructively
    • Share personal thoughts when relevant, not to dominate or derail
    • Engage others with curiosity, not for attention or reaction
  • When in doubt, assume competence and good faith from fellow members. Treat disagreements as opportunities to ask questions and understand each other, not as evidence of ignorance or bad intent.
  • This helps maintain a space that’s useful, welcoming, and aligned with our shared goals.

3.2. Identity and Language

  • No language or behavior (including usernames or aliases) that includes:
    • Homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, ableism, or other reactionary ideologies.
    • Even unintentional harm counts; if someone points out a harmful comment, take it seriously and adjust.
  • Respect pronouns, gender identities, and self-expression.

4. ⚒️ Political Orientation and Discourse

4.1. Leftist Community Norms

  • We are a leftist, anti-fascist organization.
    • Reactionary, conservative, or fascist ideologies will not be tolerated.
  • Sectarianism is liberalism.
    • Respect ideological differences between leftists.
    • Engage in theory discussion without personal attacks.

4.2. Focus and Mission Alignment

  • This Discord is for firearms education and training.
  • Stay on topic and avoid content outside the scope of our mission.
  • Help keep the community focused and effective.

5. ℹ️ Membership and Admin Logistics

5.1. Server Information

  • Discord is the single official platform for PSSRA communications; the PSSRA server was established Aug 2021.
  • We are not moving to another platform, like back to Slack or to Signal; more info here.

5.2. Member Welfare Committee

  • The Member Welfare Committee exists as an impartial arbiter of any interpersonal conflict or community guidelines violations in the chapter.
  • Do not block chapter MWC Chairs on Discord (indicated by the #MWC Chair role and red stapler emoji next to their name).
    • Keeping the MWC Chairs unblocked helps them follow up and have full context on what’s going on in the Discord server, and help resolve any disputes.
  • If MWC Chairs or other MWC members reach out to you via DM or via a support ticket, respond to them as soon as possible.

5.3. Membership and Access

6. ✅ Summary Guidelines

  • Think before you post.
  • Keep it legal.
  • Keep it respectful.
  • Keep it focused on firearms education.
  • If in doubt, ask an officer.

:comlove: Quick Guide to Server Rules

This is a simplified, high-priority summary of our full Rules and Community Guidelines. It’s designed to be clear, quick, and easy to parse.

🚫 Absolutely Not Allowed

  • Illegal or banned stuff: No talk or jokes about illegal acts. That includes drugs, gun laws, or “in Minecraft” type comments.
  • Violence and threats: No threats toward real people, groups, or institutions. No hinting or joking either.
  • Selling/trading guns or parts: Strictly not allowed. Accessories like slings or holsters are fine.
  • News and live reports: Don’t post time-sensitive news or “direct action” content. We’re not a dispatch channel.
  • Bad OpSec: Assume everything here could be seen publicly. Practice good digital hygiene.
  • Sexual or otherwise NSFW content

💬 Conduct and Communication

  • Assume good faith: If you’re confused, ask. If someone’s wrong, correct kindly.
  • No bigotry: Racism, sexism, transphobia, ableism— none of it belongs here. Even unintentional harm counts; if someone points out a harmful comment, take it seriously and adjust.
  • Respect boundaries: Don’t post identifiable information about others. Disengage from arguments when requested.
  • No trolling: Not even ironic or “just asking questions” types.
  • Get help when needed: Contact leadership or the Member Welfare Committee chairs in #support-get-help-here Discord channel

✅ Do

  • Focus on firearms training and education.
  • Use content warnings for sensitive topics.
  • Keep things safe, respectful, and on-topic.

This is not a full list; see the complete Rules and Community Guidelines for more. If you’re ever unsure, ask an Officer.