This popular gun manufacturer remains silent after being banned and then reinstated on Facebook.

"We have not had direct communications with any Facebook staff members, despite multiple attempts to reach them," said a Smith & Wesson representative.

This popular gun manufacturer remains silent after being banned and then reinstated on Facebook.
This popular gun manufacturer remains silent after being banned and then reinstated on Facebook.

Last month, Smith & Wesson, a well-known American gun manufacturer, stated that it is still in the dark about the reason behind the suspension of its Facebook account.

Despite the reinstatement of the account, the company's representative stated that they have not had direct communication with any Facebook staff members, despite multiple attempts to reach out.

The Smith & Wesson account of the gun company based in Maryville, Tennessee was suddenly suspended indefinitely by Facebook on November 22.

The representative stated that Facebook had not previously communicated any warnings of a page suspension.

Smith-Wesson-Booth-Las-Vegas-Gun-Show
Handguns are displayed at the Smith & Wesson booth at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

The representative stated that Facebook had referenced five posts from December 2023 that they believed did not adhere to their community guidelines.

"The Smith & Wesson representative stated that the posts in question contained consumer promotional campaigns, charitable auctions, and product release announcements. Although Facebook's policies are subject to change, which can be challenging for users to keep up with, the representative believes that the content did not violate any policies or community guidelines. Similar posts have been published in the past without any issues."

While Facebook's commerce policy prohibits the promotion of weapons, ammunition, and explosives, Meta's website states that there is an exception for legitimate brick-and-mortar and online retailers, but their content is still restricted for minors.

Mark Zuckerberg at Utah summit
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook, speaks during the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Jan. 31, 2020. (George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The page was reinstated on Nov. 27 following a public statement from the gun manufacturer about the incident on X.

In a post with 3.1 million views, Smith & Wesson criticized Facebook and thanked Elon Musk and X for supporting free speech. The company urged its 1.6 million Facebook followers and fans to look for platforms that align with their values of free speech and the right to bear arms.

Although the page was eventually reinstated, the representative informed Planet Chronicle Digital that Meta has not contacted the company and no explanation was provided for the reinstatement other than a Facebook representative's comment on social media stating that the suspension was a mistake.

Andy Stone, the same Meta staffer who directed Planet Chronicle Digital to the X post, also stated that Smith & Wesson's suspension was an accident. In the post, Stone said "the page was suspended in error and we've now restored it. We apologize that this happened."

Zuckerberg and Musk
Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk (Getty Images)

The Smith & Wesson representative expressed gratitude to Elon Musk for creating a platform that allows Americans to voice their opinions, regardless of whether they align with a specific agenda or not, and particularly in relation to the constitutional rights protected under the 1st and 2nd Amendments.

Since their account was suspended, the spokesperson became aware that many other social media users have also been silenced and de-platformed.

"Although we were pleased with the reinstatement of our account, we were also disheartened by the numerous users who responded to our statement on X with similar experiences of having their accounts de-platformed without warning. While we do not have specifics on those cases, we urge Meta to continue striving for a more inclusive platform that fosters respectful dialogue from all perspectives, which is a core value of American society."

Smith & Wesson, founded in 1852 in Norwich, Connecticut, is one of the most well-known gun brands in America and reported $535.8 million in sales in the 2024 fiscal year.

by Peter Pinedo

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