Kentucky gun shop Facebook page reactivated

Amid Facebook’s crackdown on private gun sales through the social media giant’s platform, several gun shops and firearm-related pages were shutdown, but at least a couple Kentucky gun shops have been able to return.

Following the enactment of Facebook’s new policy regarding gun sales, The Kentucky Gun Company out of Bardstown and Louisville’s Tilford’s Gun Sales had their Facebook pages shut down for a period of about 16 hours, local media reported. However, both shops have had their pages re-activated since.

Last month Facebook announced its new policy, which also applies to sister-site Instagram, and banned the private sale of firearms by individuals using its site as a medium. And while licensed firearms dealers will still be able to post about products and services on their pages, any transactions must be completed off of Facebook’s network.

The new policy brings firearm sales into the same category as the sale of marijuana or prescription drugs through its network: if the company detects any posts that violate the ban, they will be reviewed and removed if needed.

However, in the wake of that announcement, there were reports of gun shops — including one in Bakersfield, California — having their businesses pages unpublished or deactivated.

Facebook officials have indicated the decision to change its firearms policy — which it first established in 2014 — came as a result of how commerce had changed over their platform over the past couple of years.

The White House has applauded Facebook’s move, although spokesman Josh Earnest would not comment on whether or not anyone in the Obama Administration had requested such an action by the web company.

The New York Daily News reported, right on the heels of Facebook’s announced new policy, members of the social media network’s gun-trader groups began moving to other gun-trader sites to engage in the transfer of firearms.