Facebook, censorship and the 2nd Amendment

Famas · February 8, 2013, 07:22 AM

I have noticed on various forums, an increasing amount of talk by members describing how Facebook suspended or deleted accounts of users who took a pro-2nd Ad view and/or frequently posted pro-RKBA messages.

Is this true? Has anyone else been the victim of such censorship on FB?

**Spats McGee** · February 8, 2013, 07:28 AM

I'm on FB daily, and my wall is covered in 2A stuff. I also see the NRA, SAF, Gun Owners, and a whole slew of other gun-related stuff in my feed. I share or repost gun-related stuff on an almost-daily basis. If they're shutting stuff down, I don't know what it is, or why.

**Mike Irwin** · February 8, 2013, 07:36 AM

I've also posted some extremely pro Second Amendment materials on my FB page.

Closing The Gap · February 8, 2013, 07:44 AM

I have been posting a TON of pro material and at one point received one of those auto responses. It said my ability to post has been suspended for 24-48 hours due to excessive posting. I had posted no more than any other day in the past month and a half. I assume someone on my list didn't like what I was posting and flagged me. However the next day I went right back to it. No further issue to report so far.

TJMehaf · February 8, 2013, 08:18 AM

I have not seen any issues and I post things daily on my page.

Double Naught Spy · February 8, 2013, 08:30 AM

Based on the amount of Pro-2A stuff I see posted, NO, not true.

Woody55 · February 8, 2013, 09:08 AM

My activity feed is flooded by pro 2A stuff published by "friends". So, I haven't seen any evidence of censorship. I've actually unfriended some of these people because I'm tired of it.

Thank you for having the good sense to do a little research before just spreading the rumor. Unjustified paranoia is not conducive to problem solving.

wogpotter · February 8, 2013, 09:49 AM

I've never had a problem with the actual site doing anything & I'm loudly, firmly, but always politely pro gun, pro 2nd amendment.
Individuals with "feeds" rather than members posting however have deleted posts in that stream, & "blocked" or "Ignored" me.

If thats whats happening its not FB per se, but individuals with moderator-like privelages in specific areas.

wingman · February 8, 2013, 11:06 AM

I won't use face book because I believe it does more harm then good especially to our youth and I fail to understand why adults would post pictures on line of firearm or themselves to people who are not really friends.

FB/Goggle both very far left IMO.

Dr Big Bird PhD · February 8, 2013, 12:24 PM

I don't think its inherently because of corporate censorship. I think it is because other people are flagging and complaining about your posts. After too many they technically have to respond.

It's the environment of FB in general. It's a lot easier to trying and anonymously censor the opposition.

SycoPath · February 8, 2013, 09:37 PM

I haven't had a problem with FB since I rarely login to it. I have noticed that my ISP is sending most of my gun related email to the trash file no matter how many times I change the senders address from "trash" or "spam".

jason_iowa · February 9, 2013, 12:33 AM

Some of the pages I frequent have banned me from commenting on their page. I just unfollow em. If they cant handle intelligent debate then the heck with them. They will simply fool themselves into believing the whole world is on their side until they get defeated.

SHE3PDOG · February 9, 2013, 01:56 AM

I have the same problem as jason. If I try to put a little logical argument into any of the gun control groups on FB, I get banned pretty quickly. That being said, I do keep it civil. The members just insult me instead of trying to formulate a coherent basis for a political ideology. Given that experience, I have decided that the vast majority of them must simply be sheep following the national media.

nate45 · February 9, 2013, 02:57 AM

I rarely mention gun rights, politics, etc on facebook. Like it or not the NRA is seen as a political organization who oppose President Obama and his cohorts by many. Several of my co-workers and customers are Obama supporters, so being too vociferous about the second amendment might offend them.

As far as I know though, most all of, if not all of my 150+ facebook friends are pro-second amendment and I actually know all of them quite well IRL, so I feel confident saying that. I try often to change the perception that the NRA is a partisan political organization, but I have to do it tactfully.

SHE3PDOG · February 9, 2013, 04:19 AM

Most of my FB friends have similar views on the second amendment as well. Also, anyone that did a minimal amount of searching would see that the NRA, under their political standard, is a gun rights advocacy group. They have given "A" ratings to Democrats and "F" ratings to Republicans in times past, so while the individual leadership and membership may lean one way, the organization as a whole is relatively balanced. This, of course, is not to say that the NRA is purely a political organization, as many people seem to perceive it nowadays, because they do have other branches such as firearms education. I'm sure that I am preaching to the choir for the most part though.

February 8, 2013, 07:22 AM	#1
Famas Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Location: French, currently living in US Posts: 162	Facebook, censorship and the 2nd Amendment I have noticed on various forums, an increasing amount of talk by members describing how Facebook suspended or deleted accounts of users who took a pro-2nd Ad view and/or frequently posted pro-RKBA messages. Is this true? Has anyone else been the victim of such censorship on FB?

February 8, 2013, 07:28 AM	#2
Spats McGee Staff Join Date: July 28, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 8,821	I'm on FB daily, and my wall is covered in 2A stuff. I also see the NRA, SAF, Gun Owners, and a whole slew of other gun-related stuff in my feed. I share or repost gun-related stuff on an almost-daily basis. If they're shutting stuff down, I don't know what it is, or why. __________________ I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.

February 8, 2013, 07:36 AM	#3
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,380	I've also posted some extremely pro Second Amendment materials on my FB page. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

February 8, 2013, 07:44 AM	#4
Closing The Gap Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2013 Location: Las Vegas Nevada Posts: 258	I have been posting a TON of pro material and at one point received one of those auto responses. It said my ability to post has been suspended for 24-48 hours due to excessive posting. I had posted no more than any other day in the past month and a half. I assume someone on my list didn't like what I was posting and flagged me. However the next day I went right back to it. No further issue to report so far. __________________ Half the country hates my business, the other half my hobby.

February 8, 2013, 08:18 AM	#5
TJMehaf Member Join Date: October 4, 2010 Posts: 39	I have not seen any issues and I post things daily on my page. __________________ NRA Life Member ISRA Member

February 8, 2013, 08:30 AM	#6
Double Naught Spy Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX Posts: 12,717	Based on the amount of Pro-2A stuff I see posted, NO, not true. __________________ "If you look through your scope and see your shoe, aim higher." -- said to me by my 11 year old daughter before going out for hogs 8/13/2011 My Hunting Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

February 8, 2013, 09:08 AM	#7
Woody55 Senior Member Join Date: June 19, 2012 Location: East Texas Posts: 407	My activity feed is flooded by pro 2A stuff published by "friends". So, I haven't seen any evidence of censorship. I've actually unfriended some of these people because I'm tired of it. Thank you for having the good sense to do a little research before just spreading the rumor. Unjustified paranoia is not conducive to problem solving.

February 8, 2013, 09:49 AM	#8
wogpotter Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2004 Posts: 4,811	I've never had a problem with the actual site doing anything & I'm loudly, firmly, but always politely pro gun, pro 2nd amendment. Individuals with "feeds" rather than members posting however have deleted posts in that stream, & "blocked" or "Ignored" me. If thats whats happening its not FB per se, but individuals with moderator-like privelages in specific areas. __________________ Allan Quatermain: “Automatic rifles. Who in God's name has automatic rifles”? Elderly Hunter: “That's dashed unsporting. Probably Belgium.”

February 8, 2013, 11:06 AM	#9
wingman Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2002 Posts: 2,108	I won't use face book because I believe it does more harm then good especially to our youth and I fail to understand why adults would post pictures on line of firearm or themselves to people who are not really friends. FB/Goggle both very far left IMO.

February 8, 2013, 12:24 PM	#10
Dr Big Bird PhD Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2012 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 779	I don't think its inherently because of corporate censorship. I think it is because other people are flagging and complaining about your posts. After too many they technically have to respond. It's the environment of FB in general. It's a lot easier to trying and anonymously censor the opposition. __________________ I told the new me, "Meet me at the bus station and hold a sign that reads: 'Today is the first day of the rest of your life.'" But the old me met me with a sign that read: "Welcome back." Who you are is not a function of where you are. -Off Minor

February 8, 2013, 09:37 PM	#11
SycoPath Member Join Date: June 29, 2012 Location: Emerald City Posts: 28	I haven't had a problem with FB since I rarely login to it. I have noticed that my ISP is sending most of my gun related email to the trash file no matter how many times I change the senders address from "trash" or "spam". __________________ "Sometimes it's better to be silent and only look stupid than to say something that proves it."

February 9, 2013, 12:33 AM	#12
jason_iowa Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2011 Posts: 686	Some of the pages I frequent have banned me from commenting on their page. I just unfollow em. If they cant handle intelligent debate then the heck with them. They will simply fool themselves into believing the whole world is on their side until they get defeated.

February 9, 2013, 01:56 AM	#13
SHE3PDOG Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2013 Posts: 988	I have the same problem as jason. If I try to put a little logical argument into any of the gun control groups on FB, I get banned pretty quickly. That being said, I do keep it civil. The members just insult me instead of trying to formulate a coherent basis for a political ideology. Given that experience, I have decided that the vast majority of them must simply be sheep following the national media. __________________ Semper Fi Marine, NRA member, SAF Defender's Club member, and constitutionally protected keeper and bearer of firearms

February 9, 2013, 02:57 AM	#14
nate45 Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 3,746	I rarely mention gun rights, politics, etc on facebook. Like it or not the NRA is seen as a political organization who oppose President Obama and his cohorts by many. Several of my co-workers and customers are Obama supporters, so being too vociferous about the second amendment might offend them. As far as I know though, most all of, if not all of my 150+ facebook friends are pro-second amendment and I actually know all of them quite well IRL, so I feel confident saying that. I try often to change the perception that the NRA is a partisan political organization, but I have to do it tactfully. __________________ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."- Thomas Jefferson ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ (>_<)

February 9, 2013, 04:19 AM	#15
SHE3PDOG Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2013 Posts: 988	Most of my FB friends have similar views on the second amendment as well. Also, anyone that did a minimal amount of searching would see that the NRA, under their political standard, is a gun rights advocacy group. They have given "A" ratings to Democrats and "F" ratings to Republicans in times past, so while the individual leadership and membership may lean one way, the organization as a whole is relatively balanced. This, of course, is not to say that the NRA is purely a political organization, as many people seem to perceive it nowadays, because they do have other branches such as firearms education. I'm sure that I am preaching to the choir for the most part though. __________________ Semper Fi Marine, NRA member, SAF Defender's Club member, and constitutionally protected keeper and bearer of firearms