If it is completely restricted how would anyone new have any idea if it’s worth joining? At least have the main forum open to read.
I was a guest for close to a year because I couldn’t figure out how to join. I filled out everything but never got a confirmation email message. Finally figured out my ISP was blocking email from certain servers. I created a gmail account and was able to register and get confirmation message same day. And no, it wasn’t going to my spam account, I checked many time. My isp also blocked email from several gun forums. That’s how I found out. A moderator friend verified I was being sent the email. Once I switched to a gmail address, no more issues.
Matt