Senate Candidate Temporarily Banned From Facebook Over Gun Giveaway

posted on September 26, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

Austin Petersen is running for a Senate seat in Missouri, and as part of a campaign fundraiser offered on Facebook to give away a free AR-15 to one lucky participant. Now the social-media giant has slapped him with a 30-day ban for using a gun in his promotion. 

A post on social-media site Steemit featured some of Petersen’s tweets after receiving the notification. “Banned from Facebook for 30 days for talking about guns,” he wrote. “Expect me to be a lot more annoying over here on Twitter for a month.”

Petersen also pointed out that Facebook doesn’t always seem to have a problem with guns, at least when the sentiments expressed line up more closely with the company’s politics. “‘Member when I posted on Facebook that gay married couples should protect their marijuana fields with machine guns and didn’t get banned?”

Latest

The Armed Citizen
The Armed Citizen

The Armed Citizen® February 18, 2026

A man in his 70s was in his home in Jacksonville, Fla., shortly after lunchtime on Nov. 18, 2025, when an intruder broke in through a back window and demanded his keys and valuables.

The “L” in NRA-ILA Refers to Legislation, But Litigation is also Critically Important

Latest legislative news from inside the NRA Institute for Legislative Action

Video Interview: Buck Sexton Calls Gun Control a “Manufactured Delusion”

Buck Sexton, the radio host and author, has a new book out titled Manufacturing Delusion—How the Left Uses Brainwashing, Indoctrination, And Propaganda Against You. As Sexton is an ardent Second Amendment advocate and an NRA-certified firearms instructor, we decided to ask him if gun control is a manufactured delusion.

President’s Column | NRA 2.0 Transformations

As reported on Oct. 31, 2025, the NRA announced a major internal reorganization to modernize and increase efficiencies. This reorganization marked the first step in our effort to modernize and improve operations.

Standing Guard | The NRA Stands And Fights For Freedom

Every company, great or small, needs a realignment now and then. But, when a company has been around for nearly 155 glorious years, straightening the course can take a full reformation.

DOJ Civil Rights Division’s New Second Amendment Section Hits the Ground Running

Just over a year ago, a hostile federal executive branch had gun owners under siege on all fronts.

Interests



Get the best of America's 1st Freedom delivered to your inbox.