Facebook is cracking down on gun-related posts. The social media giant is blocking
minors from seeing postings of gun sales and will take down sales that don't require
a background check or cross state lines.The change is a win for groups like Moms
Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which
have been lobbying for more restrictive gun policies at businesses like Starbucks,
Staples and now Facebook.
Until now, Facebook regulated only paid ads and sponsored stories, which could not
promote weapons of any kind. Images of weapons are generally acceptable as long
as the weapon is not pointed directly at the viewer. User posts could say almost anything.
The changes will extend to Instagram where someone searching for a hashtag related to
gun sales will get a content advisory.
Moms Demand Action and Mayors Against Illegal Guns posted a petition on a number
of websites including Change.org and SumOfUs proclaiming "It's a social media gun
show that we can't allow to go on any longer." By Wednesday morning, it had more than
230,000 signatures. Facebook gun traders responded with their own petition saying
"It's not ok to target only firearm enthusiasts for excessively restrictive rules." It has more
than 8,900 signatures. Similar petitions are circulating on a Facebook page called Guns
For Sale that has more than 200,000 likes and thousand of posts from buyers and sellers.
One, titled "Facebook: stay fair -- don't cave in to the anti-gun demands!" was posted by
Stanton McCandlish, 45, of Oakland, Calif.
Recent news stories have fueled the fire. When a 15-year-old boy was caught with a
9mm handgun at school in Kentucky, he told investigators he had arranged the purchase
through the "Portsmouth Pickers" Facebook group. "It's not just giving criminals access to
guns, it's giving our children access to guns," says Shannon Watts, founder of Moms
Demand Action.
Source: USA Today
minors from seeing postings of gun sales and will take down sales that don't require
a background check or cross state lines.The change is a win for groups like Moms
Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which
have been lobbying for more restrictive gun policies at businesses like Starbucks,
Staples and now Facebook.
Until now, Facebook regulated only paid ads and sponsored stories, which could not
promote weapons of any kind. Images of weapons are generally acceptable as long
as the weapon is not pointed directly at the viewer. User posts could say almost anything.
The changes will extend to Instagram where someone searching for a hashtag related to
gun sales will get a content advisory.
Moms Demand Action and Mayors Against Illegal Guns posted a petition on a number
of websites including Change.org and SumOfUs proclaiming "It's a social media gun
show that we can't allow to go on any longer." By Wednesday morning, it had more than
230,000 signatures. Facebook gun traders responded with their own petition saying
"It's not ok to target only firearm enthusiasts for excessively restrictive rules." It has more
than 8,900 signatures. Similar petitions are circulating on a Facebook page called Guns
For Sale that has more than 200,000 likes and thousand of posts from buyers and sellers.
One, titled "Facebook: stay fair -- don't cave in to the anti-gun demands!" was posted by
Stanton McCandlish, 45, of Oakland, Calif.
Recent news stories have fueled the fire. When a 15-year-old boy was caught with a
9mm handgun at school in Kentucky, he told investigators he had arranged the purchase
through the "Portsmouth Pickers" Facebook group. "It's not just giving criminals access to
guns, it's giving our children access to guns," says Shannon Watts, founder of Moms
Demand Action.
Source: USA Today