Facebook has announced a change in its Community Standards that will ban negotiations of private sales of guns on its social network and Instagram, its photo-sharing service. Licensed gun dealers and gun clubs can still maintain Facebook pages and post on Instagram.
The updated language under Facebook’s Regulated Goods tab reads, “We prohibit any attempts by unauthorized dealers to purchase, sell, or trade prescription drugs, marijuana, or firearms. If you post an offer to purchase or sell alcohol, tobacco, or adult products, we expect you to comply with all applicable laws and carefully consider the audience for that content. We do not allow you to use Facebook’s payment tools to sell or purchase regulated goods on our platform.”
Although Facebook was not directly involved in gun sales, it previously allowed gun sales to be negotiated. The new policy supposedly arose because the company is expanding e-commerce on the site, including allowing users of its Messenger service to send electronic payments to other individual users.
Facebook spokeswoman Monika Bickert, who oversees the company’s product policies, said in a statement,
“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. We are continuing to develop, test, and launch new products to make this experience even better for people and are updating our regulated goods policies to reflect this evolution.”
The company did not highlight the substantial legal safeguards built into delivery of firearms whose prices were negotiated online and then paid for. Facebook is based in Menlo Park, California.
The 2nd assures our right to bear arms, facebook should not try to change this by not allowing those who wish to barter guns on their site. I feel that facebook will lose customers in doing this.
I don’t support anyone using Facebook for anything. I don’t want to know or care about anything you want or do with yourself. Facebook isn’t just banning people wanting to purchase or sell firearms, but also is kicking off anyone TALKING about firearms. So, therefore I believe they are going to lose a lot of people on their website. Good.
I will most likely delete my account. I have had the account for four years. I have not sold anything on facebook. My family will follow with deletions. This saddens me that we have a good media site get on one side of politics. This opens the door for the next entrepreneur to make some the law abiding gun owners can use.
This is what the free maket let them lose the people making the site a success.
It comes as no surprise that FB has done this. Probably run by “Millennials” who want to accelerate the United States into a socialist country where freedom is not valued in the same way our forefathers did.
I agree with Sherm. I did not even know that you could or maybe it just never occurred to me to use face book for a sale or purchase. However I am against anyone trying to dictate actions they disagree with. I have the right to bear arms and there are way too many restrictions and outright bans of my rights. I does not surprise me though FB would take this action. It does surprise me that they would ban the sale of MJ. I thought all good little left wingers were for legal MJ.
I never would use Facebook to buy or sell a Firearm. That being said, it is are 2nd Amendment right to do so. Facebook is as Liberal as it gets. It very interesting to see the Double standard Liberals have, Facebook has no problem collecting information but for us regular people, we need to be Politically correct or the Left wingers say OH NO, you cant do that.
The fact that you have a Facebook account wether or not you trade or sell firearms tells me all I need to know about you.
Items are in place to legally sell,advertise and buy anyone not doing so are jepordising their well being. I believe Facebook is specifically joining the ANTI firearms group to harm the well being of THE USA.
I have a feeling that Facebook will survive without my support, but I disagree with their attempt at undermining the Second Amendment or to be discriminated against while I abide by all state and federal laws
Facebook is in California a State that doesn’t like guns as does EBay. I would never buy a gun that way.
What gives Facebook the right to tell people who can sell and who can buy. Most people that sell on Facebook are honest and they all no right from wrong. All the gun groups are private and members only. Eeveryone knows that you have to have a permit to acquire to purchase a firearm. Most people that make deals have to have proof of their FFL or they have to have proof of their permit to acquire and they also have to have proof of the concealed carry permit to. When signing up for the gun clubs you have to have your name . Once after the people are signed up and they’ve made their name public I don’t think they’re going to make any illegal sales because they’ll be too easy to hunt down. and it’s been proven that on here that they have their names and they’re not gonna take a chance of being put in jail . Now I think Facebook needs to stop all motor vehicle sales all motorcycle sales. How do we know who has not had a DUI or has been arrested for drunk driving so in order to prevent drunk drivers from operating vehicles they need to stop selling vehicles on Facebook.
They aren’t telling people who they can and can’t sell guns. They are just saying, in the terms of service that every Facebook member agrees to, that they can’t sell them on Facebook. No, not everyone needs a permit to buy a firearm either. Not every gun group was private and not everyone in the gun groups uses their real names either. Since this isn’t a 1st Amendment issue, they can limit what gets posted on their site.
They should not try to limit transactions that involve weapon sales.
MeWe has been taking off, no one trusts facebook anymore. Many people in the firearms/2A/CivilRights community are starting to migrate over. Facebook and the EO’s concerning the “internet loophole” are very suspicious.
Interesting that Midsouth still has the Facebook icon on the website homepage….
My thoughts:
If I want to talk/advertise guns there are other, better suited venues than Facebook.
People have started to think they are dependent on a service that really doesn’t have any obligation to help them. It’s a free service there’s no “rights”. Careful on what you rely on.
Facebook is a publicly traded company. Not the government….at least lets hope not. They can make policies about how their service is used and we can like it or not. I don’t believe any personal entitlement exist.
I don’t use Facebook, and I don’t plan on selling my soul to big brother anytime soon. Besides who really cares what I do every five minutes.
It just opens up the market to better web services that cater to those of us who are second amendment advocates.
We refuse to abandon the 20,000+ people that follow us on social media. We have an obligation to continue to provide content to them. We won’t be bullied away from social media. Nor do we give any $$$ to Facebook. We’ve never advertised with them, we only post sale items on our page, which is totally free. We’ll stay until we’re booted.
Why are people so intent and so carefree on restricting freedom?
Because part of the Socialist agenda is to create a society dependent on the government.
I agree with Sherm
Several of us have created a gathering on other sites and left Facebook all together. We are using other Forums etc.
another good example of liberal control and just another reason to not use facebook and it’s products
Cars, boats , motorcycles, and firearms are all regulated products that require state registration and certification of the owner (firearms safety certificate, operating licence and/or insurance). So actually, banning discussion of firearms is simply a political censorship.
I to would never buy or sell a gun on face book , and there are enough other sights out there that well let you buy and sell guns . So if facebook feels it’s not something they want on their sight then so be it. They don’t want to be responsible for sales to the wrong people.
After 30+ years in law enforcement and continuing on in private security I am no longer surprised, saddened and disappointed, but not surprised at the position some corporations take.
If all believers in our 2nd Amendment would “unfriend” Facebook they just might get the message – then again, ignorance may prevail
I don’t Tweet, hashtag, or anything else like that ! It’s just a haven for identity thieves, and as far as selling guns, I only deal face to face and in cash. I”m “lucky enough” to live in NY state with Napolean Como so all transactions require a NICS check anyway.
I personally have no problem with that ! any sales between persons not related should require a ffl license as far as I am concerned ! But as an NRA member I also support expanded background checks and closing the gun show loop hole as well ! been hunter and shooter all of my life including combat with the USMC . Any other problems are covered by the 2nd amendment if you have the cajones to stand up for it !
Gun Show Loop Hole? Last gun show I was at and bought a gun, I had to go through the Federally mandated background screening and fill out the Federal 4473 form.
In the end our society will relinquish its individual rights to the state. Mostly through ignorance. It will also learn what a huge mistake it made. Seems our congress is holding the line pretty well with regards to the 2A for the time being so the left is attacking from as many angles as it can. Buying and selling private property isn’t a right but it also shouldn’t be vilified when it’s legal. I closed my Facebook account due to this move and that’s too bad. The site was fun.
I have already closed my facebook account.
I am getting so much worthless crap on face book I was thinking about cancelling it. With this decision I think I probably will.
This all comes back to civil duties and common sense. I think people are intelligent enough to not sell their firearms to crazy people or terrorists. That being said, if a crazy or terrorist wants to kill people then they will find a way to do it, regardless of where they got their weapon or what it is. I am against gun regulations, and am a firm believer that “A gun society is a polite society”. Nobody is going to walk into a building full of armed citizens and start shooting people, they will not get far. They always go where people are unarmed, this is not rocket science.
Nope . . . . .Doesn’t matter to me.
Never used Facebook—Never will!
Our freedoms are continuously being chipped away at. It seems “The United States of America” anymore exists in name only.
Where does Facebook get the rights to tell people who they can sale to or buy from. That means Facebook will have to ban all sales of cars and motorcycles. This will be do to not knowing who may or may not has had a DUY on record. This should help cut down on all drunk drivers.
Robert you are vary close to being right. The antis like hellery are chiping away at our rights and soon we wont have a president . Just remember the ROMANS and Adolf
Zuckerberg(sp) is vehemently anti gun, so this comes as no surprise. At some point they will prohibit firearm-related businesses from participating on Facebook. That is coming.
I can’t see how this ” politically correct ” bullcrap by facebook matters to most firearms enthusiasts. Face book is mostly for little girls and people that have too much time on their hands…..
Don’t really care because I don’t use any of the social media. I don’t need my personal information in a collection anywhere especially where the government may be concerned. I believe that social media exists because of the government just like Microsoft giving away Windows 10 where you loose control of what Microsoft puts on your computer using updates. You don’t get anything for free!!!!! I don’t normally make comments on subjects online but I thought I should on this one.
Legal sale of firearms and illegal sale of drugs in the same sentence.Facebook you just SHOT yourself in the foot.
I don’t see how letting people find a product that they are searching for online is bad. Just don’t let them pay for it electronically. Another case of their political views being pushed on their users!
What Alan said….
Obviously neither you nor Alan have been in any gun group on Facebook.
Socialist liberals never cease to amaze me, they talk about compromise the compromise to them is agreeing with them. Why can’t they just go about doing business as usual and leave the lawmaking to the legislatures. The only reason I use Facebook is to communicate with some friends who live far away and people I once worked with. Their actions a shameful and disgusting to a freedom loving people who have made a success out of the greatest experiment of human liberty in the history of the world.
I have purchased a gun using a group on F/B. All info was between the seller and myself. All done per each other’s FFl. No problem, all legal. As far as F/B dictating their liberal content is pure hogwash. They can prevent anything they want, you the public can disassociate from F/B. Be happy, enjoy life, join the NRA, buy a gun!
I have problems with regulating private companies too much. That said i despise a man or organization who would willingly participate in the dehumanization of othere by attempting to remove their natural right to self defense.
I am probably one of the few individuals left that has never had a Facebook account. This policy illustrates perfectly one of the reasons why I will not use this service.
Facebook already is a government supervised media, why would this latest action be of any surprise.
I guess Facebook is not a member of the NRA. But I am sure the NRA do,s not read Facebook either.
I would not sell or negotiate the sale of any firearms on Facebook or any other social media. So, no this policy change does not bother me in the least. There are much bigger issues in life.
Von – Well my take is this, the way our court system is today if someone sells a gun to someone who shouldn’t have a gun and they go out and slaughter a family with little ones, they are going get sued. Look at the crazy things that people sue for and win for Christ sakes. They have to protect them selves, no one else will.
If Facebook is really anti gun count me out of facebook ! because I don’t need them.
Never use it so don’t really care:)
What do the following 30 companies have in common? Facebook. These are the top 30 companies that spend the most money advertising on Facebook. Think any/some/all would like to hear from people leaving Facebook because of Facebook decision to delete pro Second Amendment groups?
ZYNGA
FAB.COM
ELECTRONIC ARTS
PROCTER & GAMBLE
AT&T
AMERICAN EXPRESS
EXPERIAN
GROUPON
WALMART
MICROSOFT
GOOGLE
VERIZON
EBAY
UNILEVER
NESTLE
SAMSUNG
DELL
DISNEY’s
L’OREAL
CITI
JPMORGAN CHASE
TURNER TV brands such as CNN, TBS, and TNT
NIKE
MASTERCARD
VISA
McDONALD’S
ANHEUSER-BUSCH
HSBC
FORD
I think Facebook is going to wrong way.
They support every other manner of freedom of speech, deviancy, and perversion under the sun, up to and including nudity, yet, the consensual exchange of data, photos, and perchance a negotiation of firearms, or firearms related equipment, they want to BAN… So much for equality. I’m glad to see other social media sites quickly rising to take the place of Spinelessbook, hopefully this will deal a crushing blow to their ad base…
Maybe it’s time to boycott Facebook . Who needs them anyway?