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Why Facebook’s crackdown on gun sales is worthless

Facebook has announced a crackdown on private gun sales through the site. Instagram has followed suit. This affects private gun sales only. Gun retailers that are licensed to do so may still advertise their weapons on Facebook as long as the transaction is completed through a separate website. I, for one, could care less about the new policy because it won’t change a thing–for better or worse.

The method that Facebook will heavily rely on to enforce the new policy? Users ratting out other users. If a post is deemed an effort to advertise the private sale of a firearm, the seller will be notified to remove the post in compliance with the new regulations. If the seller does not do so willfully, the indication is that the post will be removed by a site administrator.

Here is why the new policy is garbage. Facebook was never a place where transactions were completed; it was a place where transactions could be arranged. There are countless other online platforms for this to be accomplished, and nothing will change in terms of gun control. Whether you support more gun rights, or whether you are an advocate for gun rights to be taken away, this policy isn’t worth your time to get upset or happy about. It is just another example of intentions prevailing over common sense and meaningful results.

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Facebook has announced a crackdown on private gun sales through the site. Instagram has followed suit. This affects private gun sales only. Gun retailers that are licensed to do so may still advertise their weapons on Facebook as long as the transaction is completed through a separate website. I, for one, could care less about the new policy because it won’t change a thing–for better or worse.

The method that Facebook will heavily rely on to enforce the new policy? Users ratting out other users. If a post is deemed an effort to advertise the private sale of a firearm, the seller will be notified to remove the post in compliance with the new regulations. If the seller does not do so willfully, the indication is that the post will be removed by a site administrator.

Here is why the new policy is garbage. Facebook was never a place where transactions were completed; it was a place where transactions could be arranged. There are countless other online platforms for this to be accomplished, and nothing will change in terms of gun control. Whether you support more gun rights, or whether you are an advocate for gun rights to be taken away, this policy isn’t worth your time to get upset or happy about. It is just another example of intentions prevailing over common sense and meaningful results.

For the modern liberal, the results of what you say or do are generally less important than the intentions behind those words or actions. If your heart is in the right place and it is for a cause deemed by other liberals to be worthy, then the results are ultimately irrelevant because you did your part. Don’t believe me? Just look at the studies with female integration into direct combat roles, where they ignore the data that shows they failed.

Still don’t agree? Just look at gun laws in criminal safe havens—liberal-run cities—like Chicago, Baltimore, and Detroit that have some of the highest crime rates in the country. Get the idea? The results are a disaster, but they mean well so it is full-speed ahead with more of the same.

The move by Facebook and Instagram has been applauded by the White House, and is likely to have been encouraged from the start.

People like John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, no doubt felt much better about themselves once they heard about the decision of the crackdown. His group voiced their opinion and a change was made. The world will be a much better place now, I’m sure. A White House representative stated, “More than 100,000 people have been killed as a result of gun violence—and millions more have been the victim of assaults, robberies, and other crimes involving a gun.”

They overlook the fact that criminals don’t need Facebook to obtain a weapon, and that law-abiding citizens can legally go through legitimate gun-broker websites. Regardless, the left will still see this as a victory because they “shut down’ a means for people to obtain guns. They couldn’t be more wrong.

About Nick Coffman View All Posts

Nick is a former United States Marine. He primarily writes about Marine Corps Special Operations as well as digital privacy and security. In his spare time he enjoys hunting and fishing.

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