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Private Gun Sales Banned on Facebook and Instagram
Posted On Jan 31 2016
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Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal applauded a decision announced Friday by Facebook to ban private gun sales on the social network.
Monika Bickert, Facebook’s head of product policy, said in a statement that “Over the last two years, more and more people have been using Facebook to discover products and to buy and sell things to one another”.
Facebook has already banned the sales of marijuana, pharmaceuticals, and illegal drugs on the site. The change came months after Facebook took away a business’ ability to buy ads promoting gun sales.
“The Brady Campaign urged Facebook to bar unlicensed gun sales in 2014 and we are happy to see that Facebook has finally adopted our policy”, he said, adding that the move “will help keep guns out of the hands of unsafe people”. According to NPR’s Laura Sydell: “Facebook has never been directly involved in gun selling, but it has been a place where buyers and sellers have negotiated sales”. The company said it would rely on its vast network of users to report violations and beyond that it would ban users or severely limit the way they post based on the situation, the New York Times reported. In 2014, it agreed to shield advertisements for guns from minors after mounting pressure from gun control advocates.
“Facebook is taking a powerful stand against gun violence”, the senators said in a statement. Shannon Watts is the group’s founder. “Our undercover investigations have shown that criminals are active in the online market for guns, where unlicensed sellers can offer guns with no federal background check required”.
The proud gun owner does not like the new Facebook feature that allows anyone on Facebook to ban a post showing the buying and selling of guns. Licensed dealers, which by law must perform background checks, may still advertise as long as transactions occur outside Facebook properties. “That’s why it’s crucial that other sites and online networks follow Facebook’s example and listen to the American people and take action to save lives”.
