Editorial:

Google Gun Ban Policy

David A. Lombardo

There has been a lot written lately about Google's gun ban policy and while I don't like any part of it, there needs to be some clarification. When it comes to Second Amendment issues I find myself frequently saying, "You're entitled to your own opinion but you're not entitled to your own facts." In the interest of clarity let's take a look at the facts.

Google has not banned gun-related search results from its regular search engine. I searched "Buy a gun" and in 0.17 seconds 424,000,000 results were returned ranging from advice columns to specific firearm vendors. I would suggest 424 million results do not constitute a search engine gun ban policy. That's the good news; now for two pieces of bad news.

Google doesn't take gun-related advertising and it does exclude gun-related search results in its Google Shopping search engine.

If you look at Google's Advertising Policies under the Weapons heading it states, "Google AdWords doesn't allow the promotion of weapons or devices designed to cause serious harm or injury. The promotion of weapons includes guns, gun parts or hardware, ammunition, bombs, knives, throwing stars, and brass knuckles (Editor's Note: Darn, I was going to buy my mother a set of brass knuckles with her name engraved on them for her birthday). We've created this policy to comply with legal regulations."

Nowhere does it explain those legal regulations but it would appear to be a rather thin excuse given the number of online sites that do allow such advertising without running afoul of the law. In short, if you want to pay for advertising on the regular Google search engine you're out of luck but that doesn't mean your web site won't appear if someone enters the appropriate search words.

Then there's Google Shopping, an elective website and not where you're directed when you type in www.google.com; It is a target audience shopping site.

Explaining the site, Google states, "...we are starting to transition Google Product Search in the U.S. to a purely commercial model built on product listing ads. This new product discovery experience will be called Google Shopping and the transition will be complete this fall. We believe that having a commercial relationship with merchants will encourage them to keep their product information fresh and up to date. Higher quality data-whether it's accurate prices, the latest offers or product availability-should mean better shopping results for users, which in turn should create higher quality traffic for merchants."

Google Shopping assuredly has an anti-gun bias. Type in "buy a gun" and you get a few hits for air soft and a couple of articles about choosing a firearm and nothing else; it ignores the 400+ million hits of the regular Google search engine. Google has established an anti-gun policy assigning a family status to all products. Products in the "non-family safe" or adult categories are blocked from Google Shopping. They include, among others, guns, ammunition and knives.

Google's policy shift on firearms has enraged the NRA and National Shooting Sports Foundation and rightfully so but it is a matter of commerce; Google is a corporation making a choice. In all fairness, neither of the two organizations offers anti-second amendment information which is also a matter of corporate choice.

Now before you hit Reply and bury me alive with hate mail let me point out I don't like Google's choice one bit either however there is an important distinction that needs to be made. They have the right to accept whatever advertising they wish, and control the parameters of targeted search engines such as their Google Shopping product just as does the NRA and the NSSF. What they have not done is censor the flow of information in their widely used search engine.

California Pols Give Anti's a Do-Over on Anti-Hunting Bill

The California Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee held a special hearing specifically to revote on Senate Bill 1221, a bill banning the hunting of black bears and bobcats using hounds.  The Committee passed the bill by a vote of 8-4, with one abstention. This "do-over" comes just one week after the bill failed to earn enough votes to pass out of the Committee.  Following the defeat, anti-hunting groups lobbied Committee Chairman Jared Huffman (D-Marin) to reconsider the bill and to hold another vote, giving them another chance to pressure reluctant legislators. "It is very discouraging that anti-hunting legislators keep changing the rules to make sure sportsmen lose their rights," said Evan Heusinkveld, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance director of state services.  "The anti's had their shot and failed.  Allowing extra time to twist arms and holding a revote during a special hearing demonstrates how much the committee vote was rigged from the start.  We will not give up, however." Senate Bill 1221 will next head to the Assembly Appropriations Committee in August.  You can find updates as they happen on USSA's Protect California Hound Hunting Facebook page and on USSA's website. 

Custom Guns Included in

Shooting Industry Masters Auction

FMG Publications through the Shooting Industry Masters has partnered with GunBroker.com to raise money for NSSF's First Shots program during several extraordinary auctions. The auctions began July 2 and run through July 21. The Shooting Industry Masters auctions featured on the Treasures & Traditions section of GunBroker.com include a cased set of North American Arms .22 Mini-Guns, Rock River Arms Custom Tactical Carbine, Smith & Wesson Mag-Na-Port Custom .44 Magnum, Tussey Custom 1911 and Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42 binoculars, plus some surprise products. "The Shooting Industry Masters provides an opportunity for us to help grow the shooting industry by raising money and awareness for the First Shots program," said Randy Molde, Masters Chairman. "Thanks to the phenomenal consumer reach of GunBroker.com and the generous product donations by the featured companies, we hope to raise a record-setting amount for First Shots this year through these auctions." GunBroker.com is the Official Internet Auction Site for the 2012 Shooting Industry Masters, which is owned and operated by FMG Publications. During the past three years, FMG has raised more than $94,000 for First Shots, a program that introduces the general public to the shooting sports. To view the auction items and to place a bid, visit http://www.gunbroker.com. The Master Auctions items are featured on the Treasures & Traditions section. Search "Shooting Industry Masters."