Big Announcement
Dear Readers,
Today I have a huge announcement to make: The Firearm Blog has been acquired by GunsForSale.com!
Before I say anything else, and before you start freaking out, let me first say that I am now employed as the Editor-In-Chief and will be continuing to blog. You are stuck with me 
You all no doubt have plenty of questions. I will do my best to address them all below.
Why did you sell the blog?
Two reasons.
The first is that I want to return to college. I faced the unpleasant realization that I would need to work part time while attending school in order to support myself and that in doing so I would be forced to neglect the blog.
Fortunately GunsForSale (GFS) came along at the right time. They will be employing me part time while I am at college. I am now able to continue blogging and take on the role of Editor-in-Chief.
The second reason for selling was my inability to take the blog to the next level. Each minute I spent programming, doing server work or dealing with advertisers was a minute I could not spend blogging. I can now leave the development of the site to the GFS team, while I concentrate on blogging and come up with cool ideas for the future of the site.
In summary, GFS has done me a big favor. They were the right people who stepped in at the right time and will allow me to continue gun blogging while studying.
Why did you sell the Blog to GFS?
I have had many offers to purchase The Firearm Blog (TFB) over the years. GFS stood out for a few reasons.
- I have known them for a long time.
- I trust their integrity.
- I trust that their vision for the blog is compatible with mine.
For any blog to be successful, in my opinion, there must be a high degree of trust and transparency between the readers and the bloggers. The same must be true between the bloggers and the blog owners. I believe that this trust and transparency exists here at TFB.
What about “Firearms Not Politics”?
The “Firearms Not Politics” policy is what makes this blog unique. GFS is committed to this policy and take it very seriously.
What about conflicts of interest?
Within the next month an editorial policy will be published.
The spirit of the policy will be that the blogging on TFB will be independent from GFS.
The integrity of TFB will not be influenced by what products are carried by GFS. This is in GFS’s best interests. They do not want to be criticized by their suppliers if I post negative reviews or information on a product. If the editorial desk of TFB is independent, they can tell suppliers to take up any issues with TFB directly and leave them out of it.
I no longer have the burden of having to find advertisers for the blog. Someone else, independent of me, now manages the finances. I don’t have to take “blood money”.
**What about the community? **
Firstly, I want to thank the community from the bottom of my heart. You all have been truly great to me over the years.
TFB is not “Steve”. It is “all of you”.
Please continue to engage and contribute by sending me tips or posting comments.
GFS recognizes the unique community we have here at TFB. They will be doing all they can to grow the community while retaining our unique culture.
GFS and I have been discussing some cool new features for TFB. I hope you will enjoy and embrace them.
I have concerns. Who can I talk to?
If you have any concerns or questions about TFB, I can be emailed here.
If you have any concerns or questions about GFS and their role in the future of TFB, then you should email Richard of GFS. His email address is here.
And In Conclusion …
To my readers: thank you for everything. To GFS: thank you for recognizing my vision and supporting me in the future.
Yours truly, Steve Editor-In-Chief The Firearm Blog
Feel free to use the comments to congratulate me or call me a “sellout”. I will be answering emails that have legitimate questions or concerns.
. Good luck with both future endeavors, I hope the blog keeps the format and the independence.
I enjoy reading your blog regularly. The guns not politics policy is paramount. Great info and no BS. I hope your studies are going well and you continue TFB.
Cheers,
Jeremy G.
hello,
You may never read this message, but congratulations.
Like the 100′ths of comments above me, i enjoy reading you.
good luck for the college.
Thanks everyone for the kind comments and emails. They are much appreciated.
To answer a much asked question: I don’t yet know what I will be studying. I am looking at a few different subjects and what I end up doing will depend on a variety of factors.
Thanks again!
You know from our conversation at SHOT that we support your decision 100% Steve. Congratulations on being able to return to college and work for that advanced degree, while still writing for TFB. We will keep reading the blog, as always.
Jim & Mary, G&S Online writers
Congrats! I’ve read the blog every day since I stumbled upon it some months ago. That small break you took at Dec/Jan was almost too much to handle
Sweet! College is awesome and money is great!
Congrats! Don’t let them touch the awesome content, and I’ll keep visiting for as long as you can still blog. Good luck with everything.
Wow, looks like a sweet deal to me. Best of luck in your new endeavor!
You have certainly helped me in the past, and maintained a high standard of excellence in a very competitive field.
Keep up the good work.
Tobin
Congratulations!
This is a great blog and I’m sure it will continue to be. It’s the dogs bollocks. ( thats British for “The Best”
)
All the best at college.
kudos dude. paid blogger is the best possible college gig
Congrats to you! I’m pleased that you’ll continue with the site. Of the dozen or so firearms oriented blogs I check daily, yours is at the top of the list for it’s excellent content and ‘heads up’ of the firearms industry. Thanks, enjoy school and I look forward to more!
Steve, I am genuinely really happy for you. It’s nice not to be constrained, and TFB should see an immediate and dramatic benefit, with the increased focus.
On a separate note – as an old fart who had to go back to school a couple of times (long story, would share – when statute of limitations runs out), I empathize completely.
Good luck, and keep at it!
Congratulations Steve, getting your blog to this point is quite an accomplishment. It’s great to see that your studies won’t mean the end of this fine place, it has become one of my top spots for firearms related news.
Good luck and I look forward to seeing you around here.
Good to see someone getting a break for their hard work – well done and glad to see the pay-off is helping you achieve something so worthwhile!
Congratulations!
Going back to college is always a good investment. This could be your best break in that regard.
Grats!!
I love this blog and am glad to see it further evolve.
Congratulations Steve! And best of luck going back to school. What will your studies be, if you don’t mind my asking?
GJ man ..enjoy the benefits
)
Congrats!
Thanks so very much for your blog. I really appreciate a blog that respects my time and doesn’t get too self-absorbed with humorous posts. I do like humor, just not everyday.
It’s relaxing to enjoy guns for the fact that they are fun, and leave the other stuff out.
Congratulations, man. TFB has been on my battery of morning websites for years. Grad school’s the right call, but remember: you’ve got to celebrate by buying some badass gun you’ve always wanted. And we expect a post about it.
Good luck
Hey Steve, congrats. I hope you brokered a special Y-man clause.
Congratulations Steve- this blog has gone from strength to strength and is one of the finest firearms resources on the internet right now.
Looking forward to seeing what new ideas you have for the site.
You sellout bastard!
GFS outbid Cerberus?
In all seriousness, great to see you last week, and congrats on the move.
Good luck bro! Looking forward to seeing the next phase of TFB!
congrats man, I look forward to continuing to read your posts and I am glad to hear the politics will stay off the blog, getting the technical nitty gritty without the snark is one of the reasons I like this blog.
I WISH YOU AND YOUR BLOG ALL THE BEST STEVE !
Congratulations Steve. I’ve been following this blog every day for about a year now for a reason. Keep up the good work and knock it out at school!
Major congrats Steve! Good luck in college too. I have always appreciated how you have run this blog and I am sure that the new one will be great,
Keep up the good work.
This is the US, selling your stuff is GOOD
. Good luck with both future endeavors, I hope the blog keeps the format and the independence.
Good Luck Steve, ive enjoyed TFB for a long time now. I check for new posts every morning (before I do any real work). Its a great forum for talking about guns without having to wade through a bunch of political BS – And I hope it stays that way.
Congrats on your success, some say you arent successful UNTIL you sell out.
Whats your major? ‘Ballistic Journalism’??
Congratulations!
WOW that is some awesome stuff!!!! Grats! I am happy for you!!! Keep up the great work!
Congrats!
I can just see it now. “Today’s blog post sponsored by ‘Gun Company X’: ‘Gun Company X’ is a piece of junk nobody should buy”… lol.
but good luck in school. and keep up the great work!
Congrats on the sale! TFB is one of the best blogs around, period. I think your decision to ban political discussions is a big part of it. That way we can be united in our interest in firearms, not divided by our politics. I’ve seen way to many US-based blogs and forums go under due to constant political bickering.
I’ll continue following TFB, and wish you the best of luck at college!
Steve,
Good to see a college guy who isn’t a hippie anti gun leftist weenie! Good luck!
Congrats Steve;
i wish you much luck in your endeavor. Your blog is the first listed in my daily read. The new contribuors have big shoes to fill.
Great for you, it sounds win-win for you and GFS.
Though I must admit I chuckled at the part where GFS is taking the “firearms not politics” very seriously. If you’ve ever checked out consumerist you’d chuckle too.
If the blog continues to be as it is, content-wise, we shall have no problems
Keep it on track!
RSGN1
Best of luck to you, Steve. Takes a man with balls to gamble, so thanks for being upfront while you were at it. Mazel tov.
As a small business owner I can see why you might do this. Personally I hope you kept a profit sharing agreement in place, because these types of venues sometimes explode in the revenue department and it would suck to be a part-time salaried guy at that point.
I hope you also got something in the contract keeping them from deciding in a year that its not enough profit and sending you to ask if we want fries with our burger
Good luck!
Congratulations!
I hope you got enough to buy us all a 6pack and a steak
Can you be fired if they so choose? Been reading for years.
Dear Steve,
Congratulations with this achievement !
Very smart move and I am glad you will be able to continue
the TFB in this way.
All news items from TFB are really very helpfull for my daily work
I wish you a lot of success in college.
Congrats! Good an ya!
Boy, I wish I could quit my techie job in favor of more education and a swank title and cushy role in the forefront of the New Media. Good luck in school.
Really, TFB is one of the best gun blogs on the Net. I look forward to continued excellence. Be seein’ ya, and I’ll be back.
Congratulations Steve!! All that hard work is paying off.
The Holy Grail of blogging.
Getting paid money to do so!
Sir, I salute you!
Congratulations. You made something big enough and good enough that someone with the right assets – and hopefully the right amount of restraint – wanted in on it.
Good luck with college and the future of this blog.
I’ve been a fan for the past two years or so, I check your site everyone morning before class and every night before I crash. I love your work and wish you luck in the future. I’ll still be checking daily.
~Merlin
Congratz!!!!
Correct move. I’m doing my Masters degree in electronics from SA via France part time…tough. It takes up my range time etc. I’m doing a cool UAV interface for a future warrior project…will keep you posted
I understand…study!!… As it is important.
Did you get the vid on the Neopup
Groot Mamba
hi Steve, major congratulations to you and all the best wishes! you’ve got lots of fans and they’re really fortunate to have you and The Firearm Blog!
cheers!
congrats on the sale!!!!!!
Congratulations, you have managed to produce one of the most interesting and informative gun blog on the Internet, one of my daily go-to sites. I especially appreciate and hope you will be able to maintain your “Firearms Not Politics” policy, which indeed sets you apart from the others. I am so tired of ridiculous propaganda that assumes the lack of intelligence on the part of the gun loving reader.
Congratulations on selling the blog and good luck in college. It is a shame that this in no longer an independent site, but now a commercial one, though.
Congrats, Steve! Good luck. Grad school was the best decision I ever made. Thanks for all you have done and will continue to do. You get to do what a lot of us wish we could do.
Glad you found a way to keep the blog going! I discovered the gunsforsale blog last week while looking for shot show news, and they seem like some straight shooters over there.
Good luck with everything!
congrats on the sale, i hope the best for you as you go back to college!
I discovered your blog last year and it is daily reading for me. Your dedication and principles on firearms without politics and an independent stance are laudable. Your hard work has paid off. Good luck in your studies and look forward to your continued passion of firearms.
Mazol Tov!
Congrats, Steve. I wish you well. Might I ask what changes we might expect to see here now that ownership has changed hands?
Congratulations Steve,
It is always a great feeling when people put their faith in you with something like this, you are one step away from it being a career (my dream) which is a huge thing Congrats again.
As a longtime fan, I can only say:
Congratulations. You’ve got one of the best blogs on these here Internets, and I’m happy that you’ll be able to keep up the great work.
-AMB
Greetings from Texas,
This is great news Steve. Hard work pays off! I have always admired the way you stuck to your policy, even when it ment saying no to some of my request.
I am looking forward to seeing what comes of this new arangement.
You’re an enormous lousy sellout.
Congrats.
Well done!
You haven’t sold out until you are no longer allowed to write what you believe is best for TFB or you are compelled to write shill articles. Keep up the good work.
Enjoy the decreased job responsibilities and steady paycheck!
It is clear that you are a man of character. Best of luck with your studies and I’ll continue to keep checking in with the blog on a regular basis. Keep up the good work!
Steve,
My blood turned cold when I read your blog title, expecting it to be of bad news.
Selling out though doesn’t seem so bad… though I hope your new employer doesn’t try to change anything about your blogging.
I love your site and shamefully, I obsessively check it for updates.
I hope you can continue posting like you have in the past.
I love your site and wish you the best!
Good luck Steve and congratulations!
Congratulations Steve! Well deserved.
I have no doubt you will keep up the outsanding quality of TFB in many more years to come.
Cheers from Norway!
M
More fun and less work, what’s not to like?
Well done, Steve! Truly this is one of the very best gun blogs on the internet. It’s fun to see the guns and read the reactions of gunnies from around the world. Good luck with your studies.
cool dude.
I didn’t expect this new in the morning but…I guess it beats “guys Im selling the blog and farewell forever”, a lot.
well after reading ur explanation i feel happy for you. Hope everything goes right according to the plan.
Congratulations….Just keep up the good work!
Good for you Steve! From one college student to another I wish you the best of luck man!
Congrats and best of luck!
Congrats.
All the best to you in our new job, and new school!
Joust
well i wouldnt call you a sellout, more like, an avg. citizen ahaha. i believe sellig the blog to gfs will have multiple positive outcomes! and from what i read it seems it does alot for ou to go back to school comfortably, so study hard;) and go buy a lottery ticket, it seems today is your lucky day!
I sure hope you know what you’re doing. College is not what it used to be. Instead of getting a better job you’re stuck with huge debts that will take a life time to paid.
IIRC over 300,000 college grads is working as a waiter or waitress. It is one of the biggest scam out there right now.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-01-18-littlelearning18_ST_N.htm?csp=hf&loc=interstitialskip
http://newgradlife.blogspot.com/2010/12/american-waiters-and-cashiers-are-over.html
Steve,
Awesome job for the past 3+ years. Congrats on returning to your studies, getting paid and doing what you love.
GunsForSale,
Don’t mess with the format. It’s fantastic the way it is. It’s clean and easy. Put a link in the corner and data mine the comments and clicks. anything else and you risk creating the opportunity for a fast follower to take this blog’s place in the hearts of the readership and steal Steve’s enthusiasm for writing. I hope you abundant success, but truly hope Steve reamed you on the price.
Cheers,
I have been reading the blog for about a year and a half now and I must thank you for the excellent work you have put in to provide us with a unique style of firearms news. I have enjoyed reading the blog up till now and I am sure that I will enjoy it well into the future!
Good luck with your new job as Editor-In-Chief and with your higher education!
P.S. With a title suffix as cool as “In-Chief” I am sure you will have no problems getting all the “foxy” ladies.
P.P.S. Thanks for the great and hard work!
SELLOUT!
j/k. Congratulations on building such a fine site and we all look forward to your continued success with it.
Congratulations, Steve! Yes, you have done the right thing – as you love blogging, that is what you should do, and leave the other equally important tasks to Guns For Sale who are more business people. Of course, your regular visitors – your’s truly definitely included – will continue to visit here. This blog is a gun lover’s coffee – fresh and definitely not decaf.
All the very best and good luck in whatever you plan to study!
congratulation steve, smart move on your part.
Imagine putting your education and therefore, your future ahead of a bunch of anonymous posters? – How can you do this to us?!
My only concern is that the blogging will suffer due to the all night keggers and hot Freshman chicks on offer.
Congratulations Steve! I’m glad you’re getting the recognition you deserve and best of luck with the studies.
What are we planning to study?
Awesome news!
Wishing you the best in your studies and your Editior in Chief duties!
Congrats!! Great to see you able to go back to school and still keep this going! Best of luck!!
Cools
Good for you!
Best of luck to you!
I hope in the long haul, that GFS sticks to their word and allows you to continue writing independently. You have a fantastic blog, which I’ve enjoyed for some time now. I look forward to you taking it to the next level!
Congratulations! I think this should turn out well for everyone. Can’t wait to see how things evolve!
your transparency is one of the greatest parts of the blog, if I had found out about this from somewhere else, I probably would have ragequit TFB, but because I saw it here first and you made everything clear, you have retained at least one reader
If you win everyone wins.
This looks like a great step! I discovered this blog about a year ago, and am glad you found a way to keep it going when your in college. Keep up the good articles!
Long time reader… first time poster…
Well…. I hope now that you are being paid to blog you will update alot more.. I check the site RELIGIOUSLY, usually multiple times a day. Would be awesome if there was more frequently new items posted.
Congrats! That’s awesome!
Congratulations man! Don’t take any guff from these swine, you aren’t selling out!
Congratulations, you sellout!
Just kidding
Congratulations and best wishes. TFB is a great blog and I look forward to continuing to read it.
Wow, Steve, congratulations. You’ve hit the blogger jackpot. I’ve enjoy your blog for several years now, and I look forward to many more. Good luck with school.
I am glad for you. You made this wonderful blog and I totally respect your decision. Now if this turns into a crap fest, I will seek you out and give you a wedgie!:)
Its a big win for everyone. Congratulations.
Steve – congrats! I really hope that this works out the way it looks like it should. You’ve been a wonderful addition to the online firearms community, and I’m glad to hear that you will be able to take this blog to the next level with this move.
GOOD JOB ! HARD WORK = MONEY !!
I have one thing to say… as a person currently attending COLLEGE (not university, as I live in the UK) and having just finished my exams… Good luck Steve.
What course are you doing at college?
First it was Terrierman and now TFB. If Yellow Airgun Forum goes south I am going to quit the internet.
Thanks for everything you have done Steve. I log in every morning to see the new posts, and then later in the evening to read the follow-up comments. I really appreciate the emphasis on the guns and gadgets and not the politics. I will continue to visit daily and I wish you all the best with the direction you have chosen.
Kind regards,
~Todd
Wish you and TFB luck!
R.
Congratulations Steve. This sounds like a win-win for you and the faithful readers of TFB.