Any connection between the 2 or just coincidence.
No connection, though I do know those folks.
Back when I started paying attention to the internet, there were only a few places to discuss guns. One was the newsgroup rec.guns, which was an unmoderated mess of trollery and chest-pounding (assault wheelbarrows!). There was good information to be gleaned there, but the noise outweighed the signal.
Then forum software became a thing. A few gun boards popped up, but most fizzled out. TFL was a notable exception. It was run from the top by Rich Lucibella, and he had a particular vision for it, which involves credibility and civility. Those two traits really made it stand out.
I posted on THR quite a bit, but the two forums had different audiences. TFL was quieter but wiser, while THR was more vibrant and hosted a younger crowd. It should be noted that THR was started by TFL alumni, who still kept Rich's vision in mind.
The results speak for themselves. Both forums are still active, and both remain very credible sources of information and expertise one won't find elsewhere on the internet. Many other forums have shut down, succumbed to internal drama, or utterly changed character over the ages. We haven't.
On the subject of credibility, pick the most obscure gunsmithing question you can think of. Or think of the most arcane firearms law wrinkle. Now google that. I guarantee the first and most relevant results will point here. Even when the forum was shut down for a bit, Rich left the archives up, and I could answer many questions by searching through them. That really counts for a lot, and I've always been proud to contribute when I can.
(Here's an
archive of historical threads from the early days.)
Sure, Facebook and the like get more
traffic, but that's not what we're about. The goal here is
signal, and I'm honored to be a part of it.
(So honored, in fact, that I accepted the request to join the Staff a few years back. You guys do
not want to know what's in the Staff Lounge fridge.)