(courtesy facebook.com)

“Facebook is cracking down on gun-related posts,” usatoday.com reports. “Facebook 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.” Which means . . . what? How will Facebook know that a poster is selling a gun and that a minor’s viewing the post (as opposed to an adult)? How will they know that a sale does or does not involve a background check, or will or will not cross state lines? Is the social media giant going to create a firearms content enforcement squad? Some of the answers can be found in their official statement. Meanwhile, “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.” We’ll post MDA’s self-congratulatory statement ASAP.

[UPDATE: Official statement here.]

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60 COMMENTS

    • I never understood people’s desire to post every minute detail of their life on Fail Book. Their stock is terribly overpriced, they keep buying other social media companies and overpaying by billions, now the censorship… I really don’t see any appeal or value there. MySpace faded into obscurity, sooner or later so will Farce Book.

  2. No impact here – I want nothing to do with Facebook. Much like here, it’s their system and their rules.

    • Yep. I’ve never been on facebook, don’t do business with folks whose only web presence is their Facebook page because I don’t want to join.

        • It may have no personal effect on you, but going into the shadows is what the antis want. There are a lot of fence sitters for the taking on Facebook, and now they may only get exposure to the anti gun propaganda.

  4. Since suckerberg is pushing Amnesty, are we surprised he also hates the Bill of Rights as well.

    • my thoughts exactly, fvckerberg is just revealing more of his hand and making a declaration of intention.

  5. Selling guns on Facebook eh? That strikes me as like trying to Google map John Connors house on a Skynet terminal…….

  6. so very glad I was born in the early 70’s and don’t participate and Twitter or that stupid ass Facebook! There not going to set up some kind of checks and balances processed or just going to ban all guns related cells and topics on Facebook that’s a cover story so that they don’t sound like you’re out wright going to ban all guns transactions but trust me they’re going to ban all guns transactions!

  8. That got garbled. Facebook is saying that just to use it as a cover story. Facebook really is going to ban all guns transactions ads anything else relating to fire alarms on their website you just wait and see! facebook run by a buncha liberals lefty’s way way out my field!

  9. AND IN OTHER NEWS: FEMINIST NAOMI WOLF PROCLAIMS HER SUPPORT OF THE 2ND AMENDMENT!!!! (for the first time, in public on 2/2014)

    Please create a post on this, welcome our feminist friends into the fold.

    When we get the feminists on our side, gun control dies. I’d never thought I’d see it, but Naomi Wolf is a powerful and well-known feminist. We gotta work the hell out of this development.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MYU5Pipl1E

    • I agree with you. I am not on board with everything she has written in the past, but we certainly need more exposure for this.

      • I believe she has become more and more libertarian over the years. Chalk her old stuff up to ignorance in an echo chamber. She is pretty open to new ideas.

    • Yes. Publish this, publicize it, and let’s all say welcome.

      Never mind how long it took her to get here, never mind that she still isn’t a gun person and may never be a gun owner herself. She gets it now. And presumably a lot of people who would never give us a hearing will pay attention to what she says. This is a good thing.

  11. Self-congratulatory statement is up already: “This victory marks a HUGE milestone in the history of our movement – and it all took shape in just a month! In the past year, moms have gotten Starbucks, Facebook, and Instagram to listen and respond.”

    • Guess they wont mention Staples….. 🙂

      If MDA was any more full of themselves, Shannon Watts could run for POTUS.

      (Please, dear God, no.)

  12. I will delete my Facebook if this happens. I’m sure I will find another place where I can see girls in yoga pants and pictures of guns. lol It will suck trying to to keep up with all of my favorite gun manufactures new releases without Facebook though.

    • girlsinyogapants.com IIRC 🙂 luckily I got married to a woman who likes to do yoga. Then she started asking me to do it with her …

  14. “How will Facebook know that a poster is selling a gun and that a minor’s viewing the post (as opposed to an adult)?”

    They won’t let you see it if you’re not logged into an account that’s got a birthdate over the age of 18. Sure, it can be spoofed, but it provides a layer of legal deniability for them.

  15. unimaginable bu[[$hit

    if they’re bowing to this sort of pressure, god knows who’s a$$ they’ll be kissing later on.

  16. Who still signs into Facebook as a minor?

    I remember back in its infancy the first thing you learned was to always tell it you’re 18 or 21. Even if you’re 11 or 13.

    That’s a universal truth wherever “net” censorship happens. You’re however old you want to be or have to be to get inside and see all the goodies and if for some reason what you want is region blocked you can be located in any country you want to be.

    That’s the beauty of the internet. Nothing means anything. Take note of that any MSM tards who see Twitter as a trustworthy source of news.

  17. So I take it Facebook will be working around the clock to take down the bazillions of images of underage drinking, smoking and drug use?

    Yeah, doubting it.

  19. well there ladies and gents the cats out of the bag! I never thought I would be saying this, but God Bless America and God bless the feminist because they’re telling it just like it is the government’s coming to kill us!

  20. maybe the people who are so against it should actually monitor what their children are doing online, and promote other to monitor their children’s activity online, instead of just complaining about it? but I guess it’s easier to just complain about it and wait for someone else to do something instead of actually being a good parent.

  22. Let’s all remember this is based on fake posts the groups like MDA made themselves and screen shotted.

  24. That’s fine. I can use a different system somewhere else. I don’t need to use facebook. Facebook doesn’t want me? The feeling is mutual.

  25. Meanwhile, Facebook is looking into buying a drone manufacturer, to help the disadvantaged somehow.

  26. This is nothing to worry about at all. Only a CYA move from Facebook without any teeth. Here is what I posted on the Facebook pages for Moms Demand Action and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence – although I’m sure the comment will get deleted.

    You do realize this will do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, right? I encourage you to actually read Facebook’s statement and the 3 “changes” they are making to their existing policy:

    “1. Any time we receive a report on Facebook about a post promoting the private sale of a commonly regulated item, we will send a message to that person reminding him or her to comply with relevant laws and regulations. We will also limit access to that post to people over the age of 18.

    2. We will require Pages that are primarily used by people to promote the private sale of commonly regulated goods or services to include language that clearly reminds people of the importance of understanding and complying with relevant laws and regulations, and limit access to people over the age of 18 or older if required by applicable law.

    3. We will provide special in-app education on Instagram for those who search for sales or promotions of firearms.”

    As for #1, this capability to report posts already existed, as did the likelihood of Facebook to take down posts that promoted illegal activity. So this does nothing for gun violence.

    #2 will be extraordinarily easy for anyone selling a firearm to comply with and almost every online firearm dealer already includes this legalese. “Hey, I’m selling a weapon. Want to buy it? Oh, and by the way, you are responsible for making sure that the purchase of this weapon is in compliance with your local laws.”

    #3 – in-app education?? More lawsuit protection legalese. Do I even need to go into the absolute impotence of a popup that people are just going to automatically click through without really reading?

    These “changes” are just to make these groups feel like something is being done when nothing really is and provide some cover for Facebook so that they can say they did something when they really didn’t. Nobody will be any more or less safe from gun violence than they were before but everybody will be able to issue press statements claiming victory. Congratulations!

    https://newsroom.fb.com/News/814/Facebook-Instagram-Announce-New-Educational-and-Enforcement-Measures-for-Commercial-Activity

    • …and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence just deleted my comment and blocked me from ever commenting on their posts again.

    • …and there goes Moms Demand Action too. I also posted that comment to the Brady Campaign’s post and they usually don’t delete/ban but we’ll see.

    • Now it’s starting to sink in to the gun control groups how hollow Facebook’s statement actually is. All the initial comments were along the lines of “We won! We demanded action and Facebook listened.”

      Now I’m starting to see comments like “well, this could be better” and “this is just a baby step and more work needs to be done.”

  27. For those who dismiss Facebook out of hand… before you bash it consider that you simply have not found a use that interests you. Do you reload? I would dare say that once you discover the many reloading groups on FB you would change your mind. There are car groups… woodworking groups. Some of them cover large regions of the country or even the world… while others are focused on your town or state. Just because it’s not worth *your* while does not mean FB is not worthwhile.

    • Agree. I use it in a variety of ways, myself. It’s indispensable for connecting with like-minded people in a fast and easy way. It does have its annoyances and it’s a privacy nightmare, but it’s conveniences are hard to dismiss once you’ve come to rely on them. I neither love nor hate Facebook. It’s just another tool in a giant box full of them.

    • If FB was the only source of reloading equipment, you’d have a point. As it’s not, you don’t.
      Pffffffft. FACEBOOK SUCKS!!

  28. The only way that the smug solipsists at Facebook could enact a security model that would do what they’re claiming is either by employing a veritable army of smarmy smurfs to read everyone’s content, or they’d have to know even more about their users than they do now (ie, they’d have to start verifying age claims for accounts).

    Either way, it should be abundantly clear to rational adults that Facebook is a waste of time, and a self-inflicted invasion of your privacy. I had an account years ago. After about one year, I deleted every photo, every comment, every action I took on FB, then deleted my account.

  29. Here what funny you can advertise porn all over Facebook they allow it. Yet becuase guns are what they are there not gone allow it. Yea double edge sword.

    • I always found it interesting that having your relationship status set to “Married” did not preclude one from getting “Meet Local Singles” ads.

      You can tell by the ads exactly what Facebook thinks of you.

      Apparently they think I should attend Devry University, take steroids and cheat on my wife.

    • Just make sure you include the disclaimer, “The buyer is responsible for making sure that the purchase of this weapon is in compliance with federal, state and local laws.” As long as you do that Facebook doesn’t care what you’re selling.

  32. Y’all realized that Facebook conned the con artists, yes? All they did was throw some words at them to make them STFU. NO action whatsoever.

  33. I fail to see any way they can be assured of any of those things. Another worthless, feel-good measure that those people seem to thrive on.

    • Close your account. It can’t be too hard, because I did it. I think. Or, leave it open and just don’t go back anymore. Don’t post.

  35. Don’t even go on facebook. Find something more productive to do, like go shooting instead.

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