BUYER BEWARE: Facebook Allowing Dubious Ads for ‘Car Fuel Filters’

We all know how Facebook aggressively and promptly kills off posts that promote gun sales on their platform. That’s even extended to gun reviews and posts about Medal of Honor recipients that they have sometimes interpreted as promotions. So it seems a little suspicious that they not only allow dubious posts selling “fuel filters,” but they place them into gun owners’ news feeds.

Today, one of those landed in mine. A Facebook user named “1choose” put up the post for “Hot Sale Fuel Filter” on May 19 at 4:49 AM. Someone (probably in the Middle Kingdom) created 1choose’s Facebook page on December 10, 2019.

Now some folks will ask what’s wrong with buying a fuel filter? Nothing at all, if that’s what it is.

Except this one looks a lot more like a suppressor (complete with baffles) than a fuel filter. And even if you think it’s really a fuel filter, our friends at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (and really big fires) may have a different take.

Folks still thinking this looks like a great place to drop a few bucks should familiarize themselves with the legal term of “constructive possession.”

From the Cornell Law School:

The legal possession of an object, even if it was not in a person’s direct physical control. Often used in criminal law prosecutions for possession crimes, such as possession of illegal drugs. Generally, for a court to find that a person had constructive possession of an object, the person must have had knowledge of the object, and as well as the ability to control it. For example, someone with keys to a safe deposit box may have constructive possession to the contents of that box, and the owner of a car may have constructive possession of the contents of its trunk.

If you’re not familiar with constructive possession and NFA-regulated items, read our post about the topic by a Florida attorney.

Also, see our posts on the perils of buying Chinese knock-off gun accessories here and here.

It doesn’t seem like a stretch that Facebook would cooperate with the ATF to target gun owners who don’t know any better. Or those trying to acquire things they aren’t licensed to have. After all, Facebook’s business model involves selling targeted advertising thanks to all the personal information they collect on each of their users.

Then again, maybe labeling these as “car fuel filters” is enough to get around Facebook’s anti-gun algorithms. And the typical pasty-faced Facebook drone who might have actually reviewed this manually probably wouldn’t recognize these for what they really are.

The good news: there’s plenty of comedy gold in the comments section under the 1choose post.

Bill T.
This is an awesome “fuel filter”! It makes my “fuel” flow through the lines so much more quietly than it used to! My “fuel” used to flow very noisily, but this “filter” reduced the sound level of my “fuel” to a much better level.

Brandon H.
Can I get a diagram of exactly how this filter the fuel let alone let any kind of liquid flow through it? Seems drilling small holes through it would help. I’ll throw out some random numbers, maybe 5.56 or 7.62?

Larry B., Jr.
I have for my car in 300 black out, works great driving at subsonic speeds

Marty Z.
Works great on my 9mm fuel lines.

Mike M.
Wondering about the performance of this filter on a 6.5 Cummings.

Jimmy S.
It usually takes a class three federal firearms license to own a fuel filter like this.

Tommy-Kim B.
I have a new hotrod. How well will this hold up to the magnum pressures going through a .338″ fuel line? I cant have a failure when at full send to the 3000 foot mark.

William P.
I was needing a new filter for my P320 compact motor. She’s been running a little louder than i prefer. It has a 9mm exhaust port. Will this fit that?

Chuck H.
Will it work on a 45 gallon tank or is it only good for a 22 gallon tank?

Tim S.
Is the micron rating .356 or .451?

James J.
Are these “High” pressure filters for high performance engines or just “Standard” pressure for the smaller performance units

Stephen S.
I absolutely love this. How funny. Who would have ever guessed a filter could look so good. How about performance? Does it keep most of the contamination out of the flow???

John C.
Does the ATF deliver it?

Trent R.
Filters out everything but the lead.

Ray B.
I wonder how “gallons” it can filter before needing changed

Shawn O.
Does this fit a 9mm or .45 fuel filter line and meant for subsonic fuel, correct? Asking for a friend

Kevin H.
Is this approved by the Bureau of Automatic Transmission Fluid and Exhaust?

Tomas B.
7 Baffles. THAT will filter the sound, I mean particles.

Alexander B.
I guess this is California Legal filter right? Its looks like a featureless filter…

At best this is what will likely happen if you press the BUY button:

At worst, your purchase might come with a free set of bracelets and a decade or more of full room and board courtesy of Uncle Sugar. Along with the loss of your gun rights for life.