I don't necessarily agree with the idea that us closing or going private would do anything to slow them down or even bring them to a halt. In fact, I highly doubt it would. Those that are still in GG are operating on a perpetual motion engine of hate.
As for the recent dust ups, I think the reason why these are standing out is that they are really the only two blemishes on our track record that happened within days of each other. As others have pointed out (and if I'm wrong, please correct me) the incident with MiracleofSound was one person being a bit shitty. And as for Brianna, well... I'm still disappointed. But I think some, especially outside of this sub, just didn't like the idea of anyone having a negative opinion of that situation. Yes, some people lost it, but a lot of people had reasonable observations on why it was a bad... thing.
People here get tired of TB or Milo posts because they seem to happen in clusters that last 72 to 96 hours, since those terribly verbose smegma crusts love the sound of their own words. They'll say a thing and not let go of it for awhile. I'm not exactly sure how well a ban on them would work. Maybe limit posts about them or any other not-leader to only very specific circumstances. Or to mods only, leaving it up them to decide what's worth posting.
As for improving the sub as a whole? I have a thought: We just go full on geek culture sub while simultaneously ignoring GG. Maybe even just focus on everything gaming while leaving all the gator garbage at the door. Maybe even feature user reviews of games, subscriber discussion on mechanics and features, maybe try to get devs and gaming personalities (like VO actors or critics) to come in and do AMAs. Hell, we know we have a few game design students here - myself included - maybe make this a space to share ideas and work with others and get feedback from non-designer subbies.