Another step toward sanity and common sense, and against the insidious right-wing gun lobby and its apologists.

The world's biggest social networking site Facebook has tightened its rules on posts relating to guns.

The site said it will remove posts from users who "indicate a willingness" to break the law - like requiring no background check - to sell firearms.

Access to posts related to sale of guns and other regulated items will be restricted to users over the age of 18.

Facebook has been under pressure from lobbying groups to alter its policy on such posts.

While the website is not an e-commerce platform, people use it to promote their goods and solicit buyers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26444876

They asked us to contact Facebook to protest, but I frankly don't understand (a) what Facebook has proposed and (b) what Brady Campaign wants them to do instead well enough to respond yet. Is it that they want a total ban of all unlicensed sellers? That's what I got from it, but I'm not sure.

Honest help appreciated from people actually involved in the REGULATION movement (ie., no pro-gun responses, please). Here's what the email said:

Dear XXX,
Under pressure from the Brady Campaign and our partners, Facebook released an updated gun policy today. Some will call this a victory; we strongly disagree.
Facebook’s new policy continues to allow unlicensed sellers to advertise guns for sale – a policy we have told Facebook makes it far too easy for dangerous people to buy guns without a Brady background check.
Share your disappointment with Facebook and tell them prohibiting unlicensed sellers from posting guns for sale will help prevent dangerous people from buying guns.
While other online communities, like Google and Craigslist, have sent a clear message by prohibiting unlicensed sellers to advertise guns for sale, Facebook continues to put the interests of the corporate gun lobby ahead of public safety.
The solution is simple. Facebook should prohibit any posts that advertise the unlicensed sale or transfer of firearms in the United States.
Because you and I both know it’s only a matter of time before a gun purchased through Facebook is used in a terrible tragedy. We can’t let that happen.
Tell Facebook today they need to do more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

Sincerely,
Dan Gross
President

is going to delete posts that are plainly indicating they intend to sell the weapon illegal or without regard to legality. Essentially they will delete posts that say things like "AR-15 for sale, no background check". They aren't stopping all sales and advertisement of firearms. They took an essentially middle of the road position which is not unreasonable for a company in their position. There is a sizable gun community that is on facebook and they don't want to ruffle too many feathers. That and 99% of facebook users don't really care.

make sales through their site, as other sites have done.

Where do you get the 99% number? Did you just make that up? (Why do I ask; of course you did).

I say 78.6% of Facebook users really DO care whether the site is being used to for sales by unlicensed dealers. I will write them to complain. This is a ridiculous, non-policy policy they have initiated. It's meaningless.

12,000 is a far cry from even 1% of facebook users. But do you seriously think the majority of american facebook users even think about this issue at all? I don't.

Frankly there is very little facebook can reasonably do to prevent all private sales this, except banning all pictures/discussion of firearms. They aren't going to do that- social media companies generally don't like alienating any groups and playing censors to ideas.

Sounds like as long as people don't make posts that amount to "I have an illegal gun for sale. I would like to illegally sell it to someone who wants to purchase an illegal gun. We may conduct our illegal transaction at the illegal place of your illegal choosing. Please bring illegal cash to the illegal amount of $300. Unlawfully yours, Illegal Dave." they're not going to even bother deleting them.

I'd rather they just ban the sale of guns on Facebook entirely. There are plenty of places to sell guns, most of which are better prepared to know what's actually illegal where they operate.

that is the problem facing facebook at this point. How do they know which posts to censor and which to allow. the criteria isn't black and white. While it's easy for facebook to know the intentions of a poster that posts "For Sale", but what about a poster that just uploads a gun image and posts something like "Interested?". What about a picture of a gun with the tag "Contact me"?

Of course given how useless facebook is about actually deleting stuff that unquestionably needs deleting (Threats of violence against a specific person, etc) I doubt anyone would even notice.