When Bryan Mumford started his concealed carry training business a decade ago, he gained clients the old-fashioned way — visiting businesses and trade shows, shaking hands and handing out cards.
But PDX Arsenal really took off online when Mumford posted class openings on Facebook and Instagram. Community Facebook groups in Oregon, particularly those with a public safety focus, drove massive traffic to his page.
“I’d get 150 to 200 comments and 300 likes on our social media posts, which generated a lot of revenue for the company,” he said.
Recently, though, Meta’s crackdown on firearm-related content has turned those platforms into “a dead avenue.” The same kind of posts net single-digit likes. Mumford feels invisible online.
“We’re kind of having to take it back to where we started,” he said.
Meta, the parent company that owns Facebook, Instagram and other social media apps, has numerous rules that apply to “restricted goods and services” like drugs, alcohol, gambling and weapons. Meta’s guidelines clearly state that content that “attempts to buy, sell, or trade, firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, explosives, or lethal enhancements” is not allowed except when posted by a page representing “legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.”
But Mumford doesn’t sell guns. He teaches firearm safety classes and helps students apply for concealed handgun licenses. So he has no idea why photos and videos he posts showing guns keep getting flagged as violating the policy, accompanied by restrictions on his accounts’ visibility.
“They’re still flagging content that has nothing to do with anything being transferred or sold,” he said. “I have appealed several decisions to no avail. I feel like it falls on deaf ears.”
— Hannah Ray Lambert in Gun safety instructor says Facebook, Instagram are unfairly shadow-banning him. He’s not alone
terrorists and pedophiles are fine, tho.