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Moms Demand Action aka the Demanding Mommies are trying to get Facebook to shut down firearm-related Facebook pages. And according to this article by VentureBeat, they might just succeed. That is, if we let them.
The Firearms Policy Coalition has started a counter-petition on Change.org. Their petition has broken the 9,000 signature mark as of this morning. As I understand it, the goal is to get 100,000 signatures by next week. Given that the NRA page has over 3 million likes and the Demanding Mommies page has less than 150,000, I think this is doable.
The FPC notes that Facebook considers even a “like” to be be Constitutionally-protected free speech. Let’s make sure that it is free speech for all and not just a select noisy few.
In Bland v. Roberts, Facebook submitted an amicus brief to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals arguing that Facebook speech, even a page “like,” is Constitutionally-protected speech. The brief said that “Facebook strives to create an online environment that facilitates communication, social connection, and the sharing of ideas, and in which Users can engage in debate and advocate for the political ideas, parties, and candidates of their choice….Facebook, for itself and its Users, has a vital interest in ensuring that speech on Facebook and in other online communities is afforded the same constitutional protection as speech in newspapers, on television, and in the town square.”
If that’s true, then Facebook will do the right thing and keep its rules fairly applied and content-neutral. Help us make sure OUR speech isn’t banned — SIGN OUR COUNTER-PETITION RIGHT NOW!