In January 2016, Facebook responded to calls from gun control advocates and vowed to clamp down on potentially dangerous gun sales on its site. Legitimate gun dealers with Federal Firearms Licences - carrying out necessary background checks - are allowed to go about their business. But private sales are prohibited and, in theory, should be taken down immediately. But is this happening?
Not exactly. While Facebook did initially shut down numerous groups dedicated to gun sales, many of those looking to buy and sell armaments simply moved elsewhere on the site .
One such group is FSU Craigslist, a Facebook classifieds created for Florida State University students. While most of the posts advertise mundane everyday items such as furniture, the occasional gun adverts have been posted. According to an investigation by Vocativ , in the space of a week three guns were put up for sale, with two subsequently removed.
BBC Trending carried out a search for guns being sold by private individuals in other Facebook groups, and they were readily available.
So are private gun sales legal in the US? According to Ladd Everitt, a spokesperson from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, "It varies from state to state, in some states it is legal, and background checks are not required". So those privately selling guns on Facebook are not necessarily breaking the law, only Facebook policy.
Further to this, the rules of The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, engrained in federal law, state: "It is unlawful for either licensed or unlicensed sellers to sell firearms to persons they know or have reasonable cause to believe cannot lawfully possess them." Much of the concern surrounding unlicensed sales of guns on Facebook, is that sellers may know very little about the buyer's background.
The introduction of Facebook's new rules came after gun safety campaign groups such as "Everytown" and "Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense" applied pressure . A spokesperson from "Everytown" referred Trending to instances where unlicensed Facebook sales had led to fatal shootings - including one case in Ohio where convicted felon Brian Harleman used such a weapon to murder his ex-girlfriend's 10-year-old daughter.
Facebook's community standards "prohibit any attempts by unauthorised dealers to purchase, sell or trade prescription drugs, marijuana, firearms or ammunition." The social network currently relies on a reporting system, similar to one used to monitor pornography. But is this enough?
Despite applauding Facebook's initial promises back in January, "Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense" have since asked questions about Facebook's enforcement of the policy change. According to founder Shannon Watts in a recent statement "The next step is enforcing the change. Our supporters are flagging posts and groups that break Facebook's rules against unlicensed gun sales with no questions asked, but it's also critical for the innovators at Facebook to develop the systems necessary to make their new policy a reality."
A Facebook spokesperson told Trending; "We prohibit people from using Facebook to offer and co-ordinate private sales of firearms. Any content that violates this policy will be removed - whether it is in groups, on profiles, or on pages. We rely on our community of 1.6 billion people to help us enforce this policy by making it easy for anyone to report any piece of content including posts, photos, videos, and messages."
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-36493377
IMHO, If licensed gun dealers want to sell weapons online then they should have their own website showing what they have available and doing proper background checks. I guess there is not a problem with licensed dealers selling on Facebook either, as long as they are following the law and doing the background checks.
However private sales online are a serious problem and I applaud Facebook for trying to stop it from happening on their site. It's step in the right direction. A private sale online from an un-licensed dealer to another private person, who does not do a background check may just be selling weapons to the next Columbine or San Bernardino shooters or a pissed off ex-husband or ex-wife looking to kill. I believe private online sales of weapons who do not know each other and the seller does not do a background check should be banned from all sites.
I agree that private gun sales should be banned, but I have no respect for Facebook, a site that will sell itself to stifle free speech as it did with its deal with Merkel.
I have a Facebook account, but only use it to stay in touch with some of my family and posting the occasional funny or political picture or saying.
The fact that guns are for sale on Facebook at all shocked me. They have to suppress the private sales.
I completely agree with the first two lines, but your last statement is a concern to me. Private sales should be legal I agree, however you must be absolutely certain who the person is and what they intend to do with the firearm. Is it for home security, concealed carry or whatever? If the person the weapon is sold to takes it out and commits a crime, such as a robbery or a shooting or murder, then, at least morally, the person who sold them the weapon is partially responsible. IMHO.
"One such group is FSU Craigslist, a Facebook classifieds created for Florida State University students."
Just what Florida needs - a social media site to buy and sell guns.