Facebook decided – in the name of safety – that they would ban any ads for “accessories such as gun safes, vests and gun holsters in the US,” according to a blog post posted by the company.
The ad ban comes just weeks after a record-breaking year for gun sales closed out. More than 21 million background checks were conducted for the sale of a firearm and NSSF estimates that 8.4 million people purchased a firearm for the first time. It’s not just guns that are being sold in record number to these first-time buyers, it’s also everything that goes with firearm ownership – from ammunition to safes.
Not Safe Rhetoric
Now, Facebook believes that ads promoting safe firearm storage must be yanked at a time when there is record firearm ownership and these new owners need to know their safe storage options in the home. The ad ban will be in place through the inauguration week, sparked by an article from Buzzfeed that accused the social media giant of pairing ads for safes, holsters, body armor and other “military-related paraphernalia” with Facebook users who engaged with posts that were considered “election misinformation” surrounding the melee at the U.S. Capitol.
Buzzfeed was tipped off by Tech Transparency Project, which made the broad overreach that anyone who interacted with one of these Facebook election posts a “domestic terrorist.”
That’s a bold claim to make about anyone who purchased a firearm in 2020 and happened to interact with a Facebook post. Just the rough back-of-the-napkin math shows that this is a gross overgeneralization. In addition to the 21 million background checks for gun purchases, 8.4 million people purchases a gun for the first time, at least 40 percent of gun purchases in 2020 were by women and the largest increase from 2019 to 2020 of any demographic group purchasing firearm was among African-Americans.
Juxtapose that against the estimated 5,000 who attended the protest on the National Mall and that equals Tech Transparency Project and Facebook labeling law-abiding citizens who had nothing to do with the violence at the U.S. Capitol as domestic terrorists.
Real Solutions. Safer Communities®
The firearm industry has campaigned to promote safe firearm storage in the home. More than 20 years ago, firearm manufactures began proactively including a locking device in every firearm sold at retail. NSSF leads the industry’s Project ChildSafe® program, part of the firearm industry’s Real Solutions. Safer Communities® campaign.
Project ChildSafe which partners with 15,000 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states. That campaign has resulted in over 38 million free firearm safety kits, including a locking device, distributed free through communities across America. When properly installed, that locking device renders a firearm inoperable. It’s a basic level of safety every firearm owner should consider.
The industry knows, however, that a cable-locking device might not be the most practical option for everyone. Each firearm owner should evaluate their safe firearm storage needs, even as families grow and change. For some, a cable locking device might meet their needs, but others might opt for small safes, electronic combination safes or large safes that can hold multiple firearms.
Facebook’s ad ban denies their users, undoubtedly the majority of whom are among those 8.4 million first-time gun buyers, the information they need to make an informed decision to lock their firearm when not in use.
Facebook chose “woke politics” over basic gun safety to score political points. This is beyond irresponsible and NSSF believes Facebook should immediately reverse this decision. Firearm safety in the home, the safety of children and the safety of those who should not have access to a firearm, is too great of an issue to politicize and score cheap points. Safe firearm storage was one of those issues upon which all sides agreed.
Facebook’s weaponization of safe firearms storage is more than regrettable. It is dangerous. Choosing to satisfy media mob bullying over true safety isn’t making anyone safer. Facebook’s failure in this instance targets more than makers of these safes. It targets all gun owners – painting them with their broad brush and condemning them as guilty by association – however loose that association might be.
Larry Keane is SVP for Government and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Facebook is not interested in safety, only power and wealth.
Time To drop FB , but what was stated is not the only Reason.
I can list a lot more , they do not need me .
Permently deleted my highly unused FB account today. They are giving me 30 days to “come back” if I change my mind. Snowball’s chance in hell of that happening. Never joined twitter.
I haven’t used Facebook or Twitter in over 2 months. Facebook is boring and Twitter is mostly woke idiots yelling nonsense. It’s just an echo chamber full of screaming infants.
I haven’t EVER used Facebook or Twitter. There! i fixed it for you.
And virtue signaling.
Zuckerberg hopes his “Virtue Signaling” will result in him being given the cabinet post of “People’s Commissar for Information, Enlightenment, and Propaganda”.
Read the fine print. It’s a temporary ban for now until after the inauguration, courtesy of The Americans Who Will Believe Anything Trump Says.
Trump is irrelevant. The tech megacorps have always been citizen-disarmist.
OK, boy.
Well color me Surprised.
Time to Say Good by to FB , i am sure there will be a lot more folks going off ….
If your using Facebook for anything You’re an I D I O T!
Sleeping with the enemy or your just a liberal trying to get some!
I know a few people who opened an account and “friended” all their friends and family, but don’t post anything. No comments, no pics, no nothing. They only want the ability to “snoop” on everyone else’s pages.
Hmmm. Just like da gubmint, I ‘spose.
I’m a liberal, and I’m always trying to get some.
But I agree, Facebook sucks.
In the aftermath of Islamic terrorist attacks, we are lectured that the attackers are only a tiny number of extremists in an otherwise wonderful population. We are also lectured that we should embrace the attackers’ culture and that they might have a least some justification for their actions if only we listen to them more.
Why the difference in this situation?
Your not supposed to notice that. Move along.
No difference. The number of fanatical loonies in the Islamic world is vastly underestimated. Just like the number of fanatical loonies in the Trump camp.
The only real domestic terrorists are the Leftists which now vote for Democrats to steal even more money from people that actually WORK for a living and then hand it over to lazy American trash (Black, “Hispanic”, Asian and White), mostly Black and Hispanic by percentage of population. It is soon to be much more Hispanic according to Biden who loves to destroy this country, and with his Alzheimers, I am sure he forgot the reason!! This has been the plan for years of the Commies in the Democrat party to destroy our country and make it weak. Voting for Biden was voting for Satan.
Thanks for making it about “race”, as if that mattered. We are all one race, the human race.
Comments like these are why I can’t share TTAG with my liberal/center gun owner friends. Are we hear to complain about BS? Or do something to make it better?
Human race is the only race I’m concerned about. 45 years of sci-fi has made me flexible enough to consider humanoid is close enough.
It was nice of you to come here and wave your Virtue Signaling flag about with such vigor; I’m sure that we, as well as you, are the better for it. Here’s a figurative hug, and you can take comfort in the fact that we are all now contritely singing ‘Kumbaya’ at the top of our lungs in heartfelt regret for our non-SocialJusticeDistanceWarrioring past offenses.
God Bless President Harris and her little dog, Jojo!
And God Bless You. Your refusal to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century is an inspiration to us all.
Wow, Dietz, way to ramp up the irrelevant racism.
Coupla facts that may have escaped your notice:
1. More “people of color” (I HATE that phrase!!!) voted for Trump than any Republican in my lifetime; and
2. A disproportionate number of the people purchasing guns for the first time in 2020 were Blacks, Hispanics and Asians. I, personally, would like to welcome them to the Brotherhood of the POTG. If you know one, or know of one, invite them to your range. POLITELY teach them the Four Rules. Help them sign up for classes. If you have a regular group range day, invite them.
And leave the racist s*** at home. Or, better yet, get your head right.
Facebook is attacking legal commerce while at the same time their platform is a cesspool of scams and rip-offs. I think their priorities are out of whack.
What were you expecting from Fakebook and Zuckerbasterd?
To unsafe in the name of safety…lol…that is the question
“unsafe in the name of safety”
An oxymoron used unironically fits right in with modern progressive ideology.
Actually Zuckaturd is on Our side. He knows Facebook is a CIA Homeland Security treasure trove. Zuckaturd doesn’t want us incriminating ourselves. Remember, Everything You Say, Can And Will Be Used Against You.
I don’t have social media accounts. Lack of one will deny me entry into the USA because I can’t show my account to ICE on arrival.
People say that Facebook is like your community square.
In reality it’s more like the community open sewer.
Mewe is a good alternative to Facebook. It looks nearly identical, but they say they dont sell your information or ban people for what they post (with the usual exceptions). I have an account there and am getting comfortable with it. More and more people are getting in on it every day. My “contacts” list is only 6 on mewe and 94 on FB, but these things dont happen overnight.
Saw on FB that millions of kids get locked in gun safes every year and have to be rescued with nitroglycerin. This is a huge problem that only Democrat leadership can solve.
This is why KAMALA will sign common sense Gun Safe Reform;
Sec: 24-6581 Protection From Gun Safes Act of 2021: Since gun safes are inherently dangerous to children, this Law will provide all gun safes will no longer have locks, and will have a thin glass window to see if any children are inside, for safety. Also any Gun Safe owners will have to register their location with the ATF and local locksmith.
Another day in the brave new world, another problem solved. So glad I voted!
Gee! The way my gun safe is, I couldn’t get a shoe horn in there, let alone a child.
OMG THE IN PUT .
JUST WISH I HAD BOUGHT LARGER GUN SAFE FOR MY WEAPONS AND AMMO .
REALLY
Zuckerburg in any crosswalk is fair game for “frogger!” Go get him!