What is r/CCW for?
The description says the community is about sharing articles, tips, and links on topics that address concealed carry, so useful tips and honest discussion fit.
Subreddit guides
r/CCW rules, stats, and what to post
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/CCW: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog.
Subreddit guides combine public Reddit source URLs, captured rules, visible verification dates, and Rankhog's account-safety workflow.
Current public stats
- Members
- 266,491
- Verified
- September 27, 2026
- Category
- Firearms owners and enthusiasts
Rules can change, so Rankhog keeps verification dates and the original public Reddit sources visible.
Rule summary
- Content Not Applicable: Content will be removed that does not relate to (a) the carrying of a weapon in a legal manner; or (b) any content that does not relate to self-defense.
- No Business Posts; No Spam: (a) Any post or comment mainly aimed at boosting traffic or views for social media accounts (like YouTube, Instagram, X, blogs, etc.) (b) Posts purely to solicit business for private interests. Businesses should review [this page](https://www.reddit.com/r/ccw/wiki/spamrules) to understand allowable actions.
- No Harassment/Racism/Sexism/Homophobia: (a) Posting material for the sole purpose of inflaming the users of this subreddit; (b) Personally attacking other users of this subreddit; (c) Posts containing racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise inflammatory material towards a particular group of people; (d) [posts or comments which encourage, glorify, incite, or call for violence or physical harm against an individual](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043513151-Do-not-post-violent-content)
- No Illegal Content: Any posts or content that is itself illegal or which violates Reddit sitewide rules.
- Link Shorteners: No comment or post may contain a link shortener. (e.g. bit.ly) Use the hyperlink button in the text editor or share buttons that generate links with verified shorteners e.g. 'a.co' or 'youtu.be' links.
- No Vote Brigading: To protect our subreddit, linking to other posts outside this subreddit requires NP links ('No Participation'). eg: `np.reddit.com` and not `www.reddit.com`.
- No Politics: Any post or comment that is political in nature must be directly related to carrying weapons or self-defense. General "gun control" or otherwise political posts are prohibited.
- No For Sale/Trade: This subreddit is not moderated to ensure safe sales or trades. Please utilize r/GunHolsterClassifieds for holster/belt trades. Reddit prohibits all sale or trade of firearms, ammo, or firearm parts or accessories.
- No AI Slop: Posts containing images or content which exclusively or substantively utilize AI will be removed.
Works well
- A written tip about a legal carrying habit or a safety practice, shared as plain text with no links.
- An article about self-defense or legal carry that genuinely informs, posted with your own honest take in the comments.
- A question about gear choices or training that invites other carriers to share their experience.
- A thoughtful answer to someone else's question that shows real knowledge without mentioning your business.
Avoid
- Posting anything mainly aimed at sending traffic to your YouTube, Instagram, X, blog, or other social accounts, which trips “No Business Posts; No Spam”.
- Soliciting business for your private interests, even in a comment, because that counts as spam under the same rule.
- Selling or trading holsters, belts, firearms, ammo, or parts here, which breaks “No For Sale/Trade”.
- Using link shorteners like bit.ly, which is banned under “Link Shorteners”.
- Linking to another Reddit thread with a normal www link instead of an np link, which trips “No Vote Brigading”.
- Posting AI-generated images or content that substantively uses AI, which is removed under “No AI Slop”.
What r/CCW Is For
This community is about concealed carry weapons. People come here to share articles, tips, and links about topics that address CCW. The rules make the focus even tighter, so everything posted has to relate to carrying a weapon in a legal manner or to self-defense. The people here are folks who carry or are thinking about carrying, and they talk about gear, habits, training, and the legal side of it. It is a practical community, not a place for politics, sales, or general gun chatter.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The first rule that decides survival is “Content Not Applicable”, because anything not about legal carrying of a weapon or self-defense gets removed. The next one is “No Business Posts; No Spam”, which kills any post or comment mainly aimed at boosting traffic to social media accounts or soliciting business, and it points businesses to a wiki page about allowable actions. “No Illegal Content” removes anything that is itself illegal or breaks Reddit sitewide rules. “No Politics” only allows political talk when it is directly related to carrying weapons or self-defense, and general gun control posts are prohibited. “No For Sale/Trade” bans sales and trades here and points people to r/GunHolsterClassifieds for holster and belt trades. “Link Shorteners” bans shortened links like bit.ly in posts and comments. “No Vote Brigading” requires NP links when you link to posts outside this subreddit. “No AI Slop” removes posts with images or content that exclusively or substantively use AI. Finally, “No Harassment/Racism/Sexism/Homophobia” bans inflammatory posts, personal attacks, and anything that encourages or glorifies violence.
What To Post
A good post here is a genuine contribution to the topic of legal concealed carry or self-defense. Share an article, a tip, or a link that helps people carry more safely or legally, and be ready to discuss it in the comments as a person, not a brand. If you are a founder, the honest move is to participate first and let your expertise show in plain answers, with no link dropping. If you ever link out, use a full link, never a shortener, and use NP links for other Reddit threads. Keep every post clearly on the topic of legal carrying or self-defense so it passes the first rule.
What To Avoid
The fastest way to get removed is posting anything mainly aimed at boosting traffic or views for your social media accounts, or soliciting business for private interests. Do not sell or trade anything here, including holsters, belts, firearms, ammo, or parts, because that is banned. Do not use link shorteners, and when you link to other Reddit posts use NP links like np.reddit.com. Stay away from AI-generated images or content that substantively uses AI. Keep politics out unless it is directly tied to carrying or self-defense, and skip general gun control talk entirely. Never post anything illegal, harassing, racist, sexist, homophobic, or that glorifies violence.
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Common questions about r/CCW
Can I drop a link to my blog or YouTube channel?
The rules say any post or comment mainly aimed at boosting traffic or views for social media is removed, so no.
I run a business in this space. Is there any path for me?
The rules point businesses to the subreddit's spam rules wiki page to understand what actions are allowable, so read that page before you post anything commercial.
Can I sell or trade a holster here?
No. The rules say this subreddit is not moderated for safe sales or trades and point people to r/GunHolsterClassifieds for holster and belt trades.
Can I post about gun laws and politics?
Only if it is directly related to carrying weapons or self-defense, because general gun control or political posts are prohibited.