Facebook pulled the trigger by suspending—and later reinstating—the page of one of the nation’s largest gun manufacturers.
The Mark Zuckerberg-owned social media platform targeted Smith & Wesson, a firearms manufacturer in business since 1852, abruptly suspending its page just days before Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
According to a now-viral screenshot shared by Smith & Wesson on Elon Musk’s X platform, Facebook vaguely claimed the page violated its policies on weapons-related content. “We suspended your Page because some of your activity looks like it doesn’t follow our rules,” Facebook wrote on Nov. 22, according to the screenshots.
Facebook flagged two posts and a story, censored between July and November, as alleged justification for the Page suspension. While the Page has since been reinstated amid public backlash, the exact duration of the suspension is not immediately clear.
Despite our extensive efforts and resources spent on trying to adhere to Facebook’s ever-changing community guidelines on firearms, our account was suspended indefinitely on Friday, November 22nd, 15 years after its original creation.
— Smith & Wesson Inc. (@Smith_WessonInc) November 27, 2024
In an era where free speech and the right to… pic.twitter.com/cJkIni54kV
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone responded to the Smith & Wesson Inc. X post directly, stating that the “Page was suspended in error.” When reached out to for comment, Facebook referred to Stone’s previous comment.
Meta explains via the Restricted Goods and Services section on its website that while users are prohibited from buying, selling or trading weapons, ammo and explosives, brick-and-mortar and digital retailers are free to promote the sale of such items “off of our services.”
Smith & Wesson rebuked the censorship in the viral X post, asserting that it had unsuccessfully invested “extensive efforts and resources” to comply with Facebook’s “ever-changing community guidelines on firearms.” The page, created 15 years ago, had amassed over 1.6 million followers.
“In an era where free speech and the right to bear arms are under constant attack, we want to thank @elonmusk and @X for supporting free speech and our constitutional rights guaranteed by the 1st and 2nd Amendments,” Smith & Wesson wrote on X, garnering over 3.1 million views.
In response, X owner Elon Musk reaffirmed his platform’s commitment to free speech and Second Amendment rights. “We restored the gun emoji and believe in the Constitution,” he wrote, incorporating the emojis into his post. Musk’s response drew the praise of the National Association for Gun Rights, which stated via X, “Thank you for giving us a place to shelter in this storm of Constitution-hating companies.”
Facebook’s censorship of Smith & Wesson appears at odds with Zuckerberg’s recent moves suggesting a shift to a more pro-free speech stance. Just last month, Zuckerberg met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, reportedly to mend strained relations after years of rampant censorship targeting Republicans and conservatives. This came after MRC released a bombshell report highlighting 39 times Facebook meddled in U.S. elections.
Trump has been extremely outspoken about his mission to restore the First Amendment and abolish the censorship regime once and for all. His concerns are well-founded. Data from MRC’s unique CensorTrack database reveal Trump, including posts about him, has been targeted by censorship not fewer than 202 times, with 70 of those documented cases stemming from Facebook. Overall, MRC has documented at least 1,410 Facebook censorship cases.
This assault on free speech likely explains why Stephen Miller, Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff for policy, said the president-elect is leading a “reform movement.” According to Miller, Zuckerberg expressed his interest in being “a supporter of, and a participant in” this effort.
🚨 #BREAKING: Trump Adviser Stephen Miller has just CONFIRMED Mark Zuckerberg visited President Trump at Mar-a-Lago today@StephenM says Zuckerberg recognizes that Trump is an “agent of change and prosperity” and that he wants to be a part of it.
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 28, 2024
I still personally think Zuck… pic.twitter.com/ddNUWeJkfA
Smith & Wesson echoed its commitment to constitutional rights on its website, celebrating the nation’s Founding Documents: “Since 1852 Smith & Wesson has empowered Americans with the freedom, equality, and security promised by the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. It is this sense of safety and security that frees us to pursue our goals and dreams, define our future, and fulfill the promise of America.”
Conservatives are 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.
