Private Gun Sales Banned on Facebook and Instagram

MENLO PARK, CA - Facebook has moved to ban private gun sales on the social network as well as on its photo-sharing service Instagram, the company announced Friday.

The social media network, which already bans the sale of prescription drugs and marijuana, updated its policy on Friday to include firearms. Private person-to-person sales of guns will be banned on Facebook and not weapons that are being sold in stores or off Facebook through online, licensed retailers. Licensed firearm retailers will still be allowed to post about their goods on the website.

The newly updated regulated goods policy on Facebook says, “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.”

Facebook says it has systems in place to review and remove content that violates the terms of service and advertising that is false, deceptive, or misleading. 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, a VentureBeat investigation found dozens of Facebook pages with guns for sale. While the transactions didn’t happen on Facebook itself, the platform served as a forum for the negotiation of illegal gun sales.

Facebook previously tried to regulate gun sales in March 2014 by introducing a series of educational and enforcement efforts. The measures included sending users reported for posts promoting the sale of a regulated item a message reminding them to comply with laws and regulations, requiring pages used for promoting the sale of regulated goods to have language reminding people to comply with relevant laws etc.

“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,” Monika Bickert, Facebook’s Head of Product Policy said in an emailed statement.

The New York Times reported gun safety groups including Everytown for Gun Safety put pressure on Facebook to change their policies after they presented the company with evidence connecting unlicensed gun sales on Facebook to gun violence. Everytown for Gun Safety is an umbrella group that comprises of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group backed by former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America told the Times the move is sending a strong signal to the rest of the world that America is working in the right direction on guns. She said the decision would have a ripple effect on gun policy nationwide.