On Monday, January 11, the social media giant Facebook unpublished the page owned by The Truth About Guns.  As a media platform, TTAG is known for news, reviews, editorials and political discussions surrounding the ownership of firearms in the United States. At the moment, it is unclear why the TTAG Facebook page was removed or if it will be allowed to return in the future.

The news comes only a few days after AR15.com, a thread-based forum for all types of firearms and general discussions, was unregistered by the internet company GoDaddy. The site returned after working from a backup site and changing registrants. Almost two years ago, Instagram deleted TFB’s account without warning and without the help of industry experts, it may have never returned.

Truth To Power – TTAG Facebook Page Unpublished

Then, late Monday afternoon, Facebook unpublished The Truth About Guns’ page. No warning or explanation was given and we haven’t been able to publish anything to our timeline there since. The matter has been escalated through the usual impenetrably opaque processes, but we’ve heard nothing and have to assume at this point that the Zuckerborg has no intention of restoring the account. TTAG Facebook

While TFB embraces a non-partisan approach to discussing guns, we have never downplayed the significance of the freedom to express and debate these opinions. As important as it is to discuss firearms in a non-partisan environment, it is equally important to have a home for the discussion of political topics surrounding the legal ownership of weapons by citizens in a free society. TTAG is one of those important platforms.

For those that would argue that social media is not a worthy home for the gun rights movement due to the inherently unsupportive environment, the point can be made that these outlets could be considered public utilities like the telecommunications industry or the U.S. Mail. A few decades ago, the only way to communicate with supporters and critics alike was through radio broadcasts, newspapers and television programming. As technology progressed, the ability to express individual thoughts around the world landed at our fingertips and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter became the methods in which to do so.

In conclusion, while TFB’s masthead will continue to read Firearms, Not Politics, we stand behind our brothers and sisters who offer a home for the open discussion of firearms ownership by the populace.