If I wanted a separate gun thread, I go to S&W Forum, or a myriad of other forums on the net that satisfies specific questions or needs that I have at any given point.
The VBOT forum is a totally separate demographic, which I frequent for other reasons,.VBOT gun threads attract people who would normally not be in a S&W or reloading forum. That kind of puts things into perspective sometimes, and I feel that would be lost if Guns got their own forum, and those people didn't post in there.
I say keep them in OT....