diff --git a/modules/wolfgame.py b/modules/wolfgame.py
index 914b470..f934094 100644
--- a/modules/wolfgame.py
+++ b/modules/wolfgame.py
@@ -993,71 +993,66 @@ def toggle_altpinged_status(nick, value, old=None):
                             var.PING_IF_NUMS[old].remove(cloak)
 
 def join_timer_handler(cli):
-    var.WARNING_LOCK.acquire() # need to do this instead of the context manager
+    with var.WARNING_LOCK:
+        var.PINGING_IFS = True
+        to_ping = []
+        pl = var.list_players()
 
-    var.PINGING_IFS = True
-    to_ping = []
-    pl = var.list_players()
+        checker = []
+        chk_acc = []
 
-    checker = []
-    chk_acc = []
-
-    for num in var.PING_IF_NUMS_ACCS:
-        if num <= len(pl):
-            chk_acc.extend(var.PING_IF_NUMS_ACCS[num])
-
-    if not var.ACCOUNTS_ONLY:
-        for num in var.PING_IF_NUMS:
+        for num in var.PING_IF_NUMS_ACCS:
             if num <= len(pl):
-                checker.extend(var.PING_IF_NUMS[num])
+                chk_acc.extend(var.PING_IF_NUMS_ACCS[num])
 
-    for acc in chk_acc[:]:
-        if acc in var.PINGED_ALREADY_ACCS:
-            chk_acc.remove(acc)
+        if not var.ACCOUNTS_ONLY:
+            for num in var.PING_IF_NUMS:
+                if num <= len(pl):
+                    checker.extend(var.PING_IF_NUMS[num])
 
-    for cloak in checker[:]:
-        if cloak in var.PINGED_ALREADY:
-            checker.remove(cloak)
+        for acc in chk_acc[:]:
+            if acc in var.PINGED_ALREADY_ACCS:
+                chk_acc.remove(acc)
 
-    if not chk_acc and not checker:
-        var.PINGING_IFS = False
-        var.WARNING_LOCK.release()
-        return
-
-    @hook("whospcrpl", hookid=387)
-    def ping_altpingers(cli, server, nick, ident, cloak, _, user, status, acc):
-        if ('G' in status or is_user_stasised(user)[0] or not var.PINGING_IFS or
-            user == botconfig.NICK or user in pl):
+        for cloak in checker[:]:
+            if cloak in var.PINGED_ALREADY:
+                checker.remove(cloak)
 
+        if not chk_acc and not checker:
+            var.PINGING_IFS = False
             return
 
-        if acc and acc != "*":
-            if acc in chk_acc and var.PING_PREFS_ACCS.get(acc) in ("once", "all"):
+        @hook("whospcrpl", hookid=387)
+        def ping_altpingers(cli, server, nick, ident, cloak, _, user, status, acc):
+            if ('G' in status or is_user_stasised(user)[0] or not var.PINGING_IFS or
+                user == botconfig.NICK or user in pl):
+
+                return
+
+            if acc and acc != "*":
+                if acc in chk_acc and var.PING_PREFS_ACCS.get(acc) in ("once", "all"):
+                    to_ping.append(user)
+                    var.PINGED_ALREADY_ACCS.append(acc)
+
+            elif not var.ACCOUNTS_ONLY and cloak in checker and var.PING_PREFS.get(cloak) in ("once", "all"):
                 to_ping.append(user)
-                var.PINGED_ALREADY_ACCS.append(acc)
+                var.PINGED_ALREADY.append(cloak)
 
-        elif not var.ACCOUNTS_ONLY and cloak in checker and var.PING_PREFS.get(cloak) in ("once", "all"):
-            to_ping.append(user)
-            var.PINGED_ALREADY.append(cloak)
+        @hook("endofwho", hookid=387)
+        def fetch_altpingers(*stuff):
+            # fun fact: if someone joined 10 seconds after someone else, the bot would break.
+            # effectively, the join would delete join_pinger from var.TIMERS and this function
+            # here would be reached before it was created again, thus erroring and crashing.
+            # this is one of the multiple reasons we need unit testing
+            # I was lucky to catch this in testing, as it requires precise timing
+            # it only failed if a join happened while this outer func had started
+            var.PINGING_IFS = False
+            decorators.unhook(HOOKS, 387)
+            if to_ping:
+                to_ping.sort(key=lambda x: x.lower())
+                cli.msg(botconfig.CHANNEL, "PING! {0} players! {1}".format(len(pl), " ".join(to_ping)))
 
-    @hook("endofwho", hookid=387)
-    def fetch_altpingers(*stuff):
-        # fun fact: if someone joined 10 seconds after someone else, the bot would break.
-        # effectively, the join would delete join_pinger from var.TIMERS and this function
-        # here would be reached before it was created again, thus erroring and crashing.
-        # this is one of the multiple reasons we need unit testing
-        # I was lucky to catch this in testing, as it requires precise timing
-        # it only failed if a join happened while this outer func had started
-        # possible underlying bugs were squashed with the proper use of a reentrant lock
-        del var.TIMERS['join_pinger']
-        var.PINGING_IFS = False
-        decorators.unhook(HOOKS, 387)
-        if to_ping:
-            to_ping.sort(key=lambda x: x.lower())
-            cli.msg(botconfig.CHANNEL, "PING! {0} players! {1}".format(len(pl), " ".join(to_ping)))
-        var.WARNING_LOCK.release()
-
-    cli.who(botconfig.CHANNEL, "%nushaf")
+        cli.who(botconfig.CHANNEL, "%nushaf")
 
 @cmd("join", "j", none=True, join=True)
 def join(cli, nick, chan, rest):