Facebook And Instagram Delete Posts For Illegal Gun Sales

Facebook and Instagram are taking a stand against illegal gun sales. If any of their users post any form of gun sale activity deemed to be illegal, they will delete them.

This came about because of gun control advocates. Because of the pressure, the social network, with 1.3 billion users, will take the next two weeks to remove gun-related posts. The company had this statement to say with their actions:

We will remove reported posts that explicitly indicate a specific attempt to evade or help others evade the law.

According to an article on MSN News, the move reflects a growing concern that illegal weapons are now being sold through social media or sale sites online. These banned weapons in the hands of convicted felons, domestic abusers, the mentally ill or others barred under federal law from obtaining firearms are their primary concern. Ergo, gun control advocates said that Facebook has become one of the top social media websites to advocate the sale of illegal firearms. They should, instead, join both Google Plus and Craigslist in removing any gun posts from their sites. However, one major difference from the other sites the social media giant will utilize, is the reliance on reports by users and he police.

The new policy was made in an agreement with New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, who pressed the company along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group backed by former New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and Moms Demand Action. Moms Demand Action collected more than 230,000 signatures on petitions calling on Facebook to act.

Their words have been heard, and in respect to making sure illegal firearms aren’t sold to the wrong people, this is a victory. But there is one issue that comes up from this.

In an article by The Wall Street Journal, there are several companies who advertise their companies, through fan or business pages, as gun and firearm companies. These retailers are registered and are honest, legal businesses. With the new policy up, what happens to them?

Chris Kurzadkowski, founder of Battle Rifle Co. of Houston, which makes and sells assault rifles, had this to say about the new policy:

They didn’t have a problem taking my money, and now all of a sudden they have a problem with my business.

This policy does come at an awkward time since its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is in the midst of purchasing a drone company to bring internet to the rest of the world, as reported previously here on The Inquisitr. Still, a spokesperson for the social media website said, “There are times when brick-and-mortar gun stores can advertise on Facebook.”

The new policy also includes Facebook’s sister-site, Instagram. They will also be subject to the same rules, regulations, and reporting schemes as the giant social media website.

[Image is a screen capture from Facebook]