Elon Musk upheld free speech amid what popular American firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson called continued attacks on the First and Second Amendments of the United States Constitution after his Facebook account was suspended He expressed his gratitude to Mr.
Andy Stone, a representative for Facebook's parent company Meta, told FOX News Digital that the account was suspended in error and later reinstated.
However, Smith & Wesson emphasized the importance of Musk's position on free speech in a post to criticized the company for suspending the account.
Founded in Norwich, Conn. in 1852, Smith & Wesson, now headquartered in Maryville, Tenn., is one of America's most recognizable gun brands, with sales of $535.8 million in fiscal year 2024. I am reporting.
“Despite the significant efforts and resources we have spent to comply with Facebook's ever-changing community guidelines regarding firearms, on Friday, November 22nd, 15 years after we first launched, Smith & Wesson… 's account has been suspended indefinitely.”
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FILE – This Jan. 19, 2016 file photo shows handguns on display at the Smith & Wesson booth at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoors Expo in Las Vegas. On August 4, 2021, the Mexican government arraigned U.S. firearms manufacturers and dealers, including firearms giants like the Smith & Wesson brand, in federal court in Boston, accusing their business practices of causing significant bloodshed in Mexico. I appealed. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
The manufacturer shared a screenshot of a cease-and-desist letter it received from Facebook, in which the platform said several posts dated November 22, 13 and July 18 violated rules on promoting weapons. He said that
Facebook's commerce policy prohibits the sale, purchase, or facilitation of trade in weapons, ammunition, or explosives. However, according to Facebook's parent company Meta's website, there are exceptions for legitimate brick-and-mortar stores and online retailers, but their content is still restricted to minors.
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The account has since been reinstated, but Smith & Wesson encouraged its 1.6 million Facebook followers and fans to “find a platform” that represents its “shared values” of free speech and the right to bear arms.
“Elon Musk for supporting free speech and the constitutional rights guaranteed by the First and Second Amendments at a time when free speech and the right to bear arms are under constant attack. and X,” Smith & Wesson said.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk watch the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
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Musk responded to the post by saying, “(We) believe in the Constitution.” He also pointed out that Company X started allowing users to post gun emojis after Twitter replaced them with water pistols in 2018.
The National Gun Rights Association, a Second Amendment advocacy group with more than 4.5 million activists, chimed in, saying, “Thank you for giving us a place of refuge in the storm of corporations that hate the Constitution.”
In another post, the association called X one of the last holdouts for free speech and gun rights.
“It is becoming clear that They are trying to completely shut us out,” he added.
This article has been edited to reflect new information from Meta about a Smith & Wesson account being accidentally suspended.
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