Reddit just put a bullet through multiple gun-related forums on its platform now that it has effectively banned firearm transactions on the site.
Reddit is a platform that allows users to create community-based forums called subreddits that are run by moderators. Screenshots posted in the subreddit r/Firearms indicate that the platform notified moderators of firearms-related subreddits that the Reddit Rules, specifically Rule 7, changed as of Oct. 9. The rule now bans transactions regarding all firearms parts and enhancements as well as instructions about making them.
The rule previously restricted transactions involving "Firearms, ammunition, explosives, legally controlled firearms parts or accessories (e.g., bump stock-type devices, silencers/suppressors, etc.), or 3D printing files to produce any of the aforementioned."
But the new Reddit rule, as shown in the official message, adds much more detail, banning transactions regarding "firearms parts and enhancements (e.g., bolt, clips, trigger, scope, silencer/suppressor, muffler, bump stock, magazine, glock switch, conversion kit, etc.), or specific instructions."
A blog called The Gun Feed noted that “According to Reddit’s communication to subreddit moderators, discussions, product reviews, and links to licensed vendors will still be permitted, along with user-to-user transactions for non-enhancing gear such as holsters and safes.” However, it appears that Reddit will no longer allow the use of the platform to sell firearms or items that enhance the function of a firearm.
The Gun Feed, citing information from subreddit moderators, reported that popular subreddit communities r/GunAccessoriesForSale (GAFS) and r/PrsAccessoriesForSale, hotspots for legal gun trading, have already been locked or shut down.
Reddit and its moderators have a history of biased censorship, as recorded in MRC’s unique CensorTrack database. Back in January 2021, Reddit banned the biggest pro-Donald Trump discussion forum, citing alleged “violence” at the U.S. Capitol. In Oct. 2022, Reddit banned the Matt Walsh subreddit for allegedly “promoting hate.”
Most recently, in September, a Reddit user was permanently banned from the platform entirely for challenging CNBC statistics in what was wrongly labeled as harassment.
Free speech is under attack! Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
