Keep Organized Private Gun Sales ON Faceb...

<p><strong>On behalf of the community of organized and LEGAL gun sales we DEMAND that Facebook leave our Firearms groups alone!!</strong></p><p>Over the last five years I have met a lot of truly amazing people through Facebook gun groups in my area. Some of which that I am now proud to call my friends. As an administrator and firearm purchaser and seller I am here to say that I have never been a party to an illegal gun sale. Over the past day I have seen groups that I love go from calling themselves a firearms group to anything but a firearms group. I am here to say that we the people are tried of hiding, and it is time that we take a stand! This recent change in Facebook policies really hits close to home and I am creating this petition so the world can know that as well over 90% of private gun sales done through Facebook gun groups are done legally.&nbsp;</p><p>As an administrator who is in charge of adding members to my gun group, each member goes through a screening process.</p><p>-All members must be of legal age to buy and own a firearm. If I cannot tell a persons age by looking at their profile they are not added to the group.&nbsp;</p><p>- Any illegal activity calls for the immediate removal of the parties which are involved.</p><p>- Upon meeting a person to buy or sell a firearm we check to make sure that they have a valid drivers license and conceal carry permit.</p><p>&nbsp;* Please feel free to correct me but I was under the impression that felons can not &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;obtain conceal carry permits? &nbsp;</p><p>- As gun group administrators we PROMOTE the safety of our members, and we often discuss gun laws and ways the laws should be upheld.&nbsp;</p><p>- Most all groups have a pinned post at the top of the page where a list of rules can be found. Any violation of those rules will get a member permanently banned from the group.&nbsp;</p><p>The truth is I can go on for a while as to why guns groups do everything in their power to make sure that private firearms sales are legal and to make sure that gun owners do their best to follow all state and local laws in terms of purchasing firearms and ammunition.&nbsp;</p><p>Instead of giving you a long list as to why gun groups on Facebook are legitimate, I will instead go back to the basis that this country was founded on, the U.S. Constitution.</p><p>**The Second Amendment states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary for the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bare Arms shall not be infringed." &nbsp;</p><p>Where in the second amendment does it talk about selling firearms? Its doesn't, but by shutting down Facebook gun groups our rights to a well regulated militia and our rights to keep and bare arms ARE being INFRINGED!! You may ask how?</p><p>Well let me put something in prospective for you, say you go out to buy some clothes, but you are unable to afford new clothes so you stop at a yard sale. While your at the yard sale you find clothes for a quarter of the retail price. You also find a rare antique lamp that you can't be bought in stores or online. Ultimately you end up leaving the yard sale with clothes and a rare antique for much less that you would have spent by simply going to the store and buying brand new clothes. Also as a side note the person who was running the yard sale receives profit.</p><p>Now change that scenario to include guns. We buy and sell used guns so we can save money or make money, and we also use gun groups to connect with others to find firearms or firearm accessories that we might not be able to find anywhere else because they are hard to find, rare, or antique.&nbsp;</p><p>I personally, and many others that I know as well, would rather purchase a firearms from an individual than in a store. Simply because its much more personal and in a country with a withering economy individuals are much more likely to need the income than large corporations. I have bought guns from people who could not get a job and the only way that they could feed their families is by selling their firearms. I have also bought guns from disabled veterans who were unable to afford everyday expenses.</p><p>By shutting down our gun groups you are practically taking guns out of the hands of citizens who may not have the means to purchase a gun in a store, and taking money away from those who need it most United States citizens. Yes, there are others ways and other websites where individuals can sale guns privately, but most lack the security of Facebook. &nbsp;</p><p>Now, I would that to address the number of felons and stolen guns that have been recovered due to Facebook gun groups. I personally have seen stolen guns being recovered on Facebook firearms groups.In many cases law enforcement officers in the United States have a difficult time recovering stolen goods because they get resold on the streets. At least with Facebook gun groups law enforcement officers have a better chance of recovering stolen weapons. So shutting down our gun groups is also making the jobs of law enforcement more difficult.&nbsp;</p><p>Next I would like to&nbsp;discuss militias. The definition of a militia is "a military force that is raised from the civil population to supplement a regular army in an emergency." You may ask how are gun groups militias? Well in there present state they are not. But, lets say for instance that an emergency were to happen, I know for a FACT that many of the people within firearms groups will ban together as the civilian population in order to supplement a regular army.</p><p>Now that I have covered why I feel that removing Facebook gun groups is a violation of the second amendment I would like to discuss background checks. When private parties trade or sell guns with one another they do not necessarily conduct background checks, but in every private party gun sale that I have ever been a party to drivers licenses and gun permits and have been checked for all parties. Also there is always a written bill of sale stating the guns serial number and all the information for every party involved in the private sale. Sound familiar? Well that is because similar paperwork is filled out when a gun is purchased from a retailer.</p><p>&nbsp;You may ask what about stolen guns? It is the duty of the people involved in a private party gun sale to check the serial numbers on the gun(s) being purchased or sold whether that be by looking in an online database or by calling your local police department and having them run the serial numbers. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Gun owners have an unspoken bond, and gun owners stick together. Even if our Facebook groups and pages our taken down gun owners will still find ways to sell and trade firearms with one another. Facebook is just a more trusted and reliable way to do so.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;<strong>Make this petition go viral, I want Facebook to know that we will stand strong and that our gun groups do not need to be removed. &nbsp;Stop taking guns out of law abiding citizens hands, and let our voices be heard.&nbsp;</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>