I'm over the silencer discussion on this thread. I can't be any more clear on the topic.

For what it's worth on the advertising and forum front:

I avoid discussion on 68Forums around night vision gear because of the censorship around "sponsored" topics. Over there, if you say anything that counters TNVC advertising, you're attacked, banned or deleted. I don't consider the information unbiased.

I avoid discussing talking merits of different guns and gear on WarriorTalk because of the sacred cows over there. I definitely don't consider their information as unbiased.

For this reason, I don't read gun magazines like Recoil, etc. Even the articles are advertisements.

There are a few forums around that don't censor discussion and commentary (even if it's shills and opportunistic businesses) to the likings of sponsors. On these forums, the community flocks all over the shills and call them out for what they are.

Ultimately, your house = your rules. Just know the effects that it has on speech and objective merit based discussion. I don't have all of the answers, I'm just another guy on the internet with some ideas like everyone else.