Why is Meta (Facebook and Instagram) Shadow-Banning a US Paralympian?

By Joe Bartozzi

In recent years, Big Tech has expanded its control over public discourse with platforms like YouTube and Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram), imposing draconian restrictions on firearm-related content. This isn’t just about policy – it’s a blatant affront to our First and Second Amendment rights. A glaring example is McKenna Geer, a Paralympic shooter poised to represent Team USA in Paris.

McKenna’s story is inspirational. Born with congenital amyoplasia arthrogryposis, she has overcome enormous obstacles to compete at the highest levels in shooting sports.

Silencing a Paralympian

However, instead of celebrating these triumphs, Meta chose to shadow-ban her for simply sharing sports-related content. Earlier this month, McKenna posted a photo on Instagram of the air rifle she uses to qualify for the Paralympic Games. Meta flagged the photo as violating their guidelines, placing her on a censorship list.

This shadow-banning isn’t some small speed bump on the road to stardom; it’s a deliberate attempt to silence her voice, an attack against her and her sport. She is not just any other athlete. She is a Paralympian who won a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games. A Big Tech giant that cares more about promoting its antigun agenda than embracing an extraordinary athlete will not permit McKenna to share her journey, engage her fans and attract much-needed sponsors.

A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed from Tim Rupli of USA Shooting explained McKenna’s frustrating social media woes. He cited the CEO of USA Shooting, Kelly Reisdorf, who said: “By silencing an athlete’s voice, you infringe not only on their freedom of expression but subtly on their right to bear arms as well, as these platforms are critical for educating and sharing the legitimate and safe use of firearms in sport.”

McKenna isn’t alone in facing such censorship. Recently, Meta has also taken similar actions against other athletes, such as Team USA shotgun athlete Conner Prince. The Facebook page of the West Point Rifle Team at the U.S. Military Academy was “unpublished” by Meta, which stated that the page “goes against our Community Standards.”

Muzzling YouTube Content

Take the case of Hickok45, a popular YouTube channel that provides informative, safety-oriented content on firearms. Notwithstanding its popularity, Hickok45 has suffered under repeated censorship by YouTube. In 2016 and 2018, the channel was suspended on the grounds of violations against firearm content policies. These policies expressly prohibit content for the sale of firearms and accessories, instructions on manufacturing firearms and ammunition or installing firearm accessories. Yet, they were stretched to the point of absurdity in order to deplatform this channel.

The latest incident saw all videos posted starting from June 18, along with much of their older content, deleted by YouTube.

The censorship of McKenna Geer, Hickok45, Conner Prince and the West Point Rifle Team are part of a disturbing pattern. Meta, Google and other Big Tech firms have an outsized role in public discourse but actively choose to exclude content from that discourse that pertains to our Second Amendment. This is not about guideline enforcement but narrative control and infringements on our fundamental rights.

We can protect our rights and ensure a balanced and transparent online community. We simply start by standing up and speaking out against ideological, anti-Second Amendment censorship.