Shadow-banning, Social Media, and the Firearms Industry: Why Visibility Is a Battle Worth Fighting

Civilian, having a defence product even gets shadow-banned when we talk about school shootings, anything bulletproof, and being involved in the firearms industry.

In May, Civilian joined leaders across the firearms and protection industry at the NSSF Leadership Summit in Clearwater, Florida. One session in particular had the room locked in—because the issue at hand isn’t just frustrating, it’s existential:

Social media suppression.

You’ve felt it. We’ve felt it. Everyone in this space has.

Whether it's shadow-banning, blocked ads, random takedowns, or disappearing reach, the rules are unclear—and the playing field is anything but equal.

Why Shadow-banning Hits Our Industry So Hard

This isn’t just about controversial content. We continuously see  getting flagged and buried while others, often with similar posts, go viral.

One person posts a photo holding a product? It trends. Another posts the exact same thing? Shadow-banned. Flagged. Restricted. Account disabled.

No warning. No consistency. No appeal.

And still—many FFLs and small businesses aren’t even set up to defend themselves. No backup accounts. No two-factor authentication. No clear strategy to stay online when the algorithm turns against them.

It’s in no way fair or an equal playing field. But life isn't fair. Life's tough, get a helmet. But seriously- this leaves us in a strange position.

Even the most discreet brands can get shadow-banned from being so heavily associated with the firearms industry.

What We Learned at the Summit

During the talk on this very issue, the room was hanging on every word. Chuck Rossi, an amazing advocate who currently works at Meta gave us insights on what it's like behind the scenes. People ate it up like candy—not because it was new, but because it’s effected them at one point or another. It keeps happening.

He confirmed what we’ve all suspected: automated moderation disproportionately impacts our category. He also shared what’s being done to fix it.

Chuck & Kareem founded & run an amazing initiative called Open Source Defence. I really recommend you sign up for their newsletter and get connected with them. Great people with a great mission.

If You’re in This Space, Here’s What to Do Now:

1. Build Like You're Already Shadow-banned. Assume you’ll be flagged. Don't be shocked or have an emotional reaction every time it happens. It's inevitable. You need to ask: If this channel disappeared tomorrow, how would I reach my audience? Here's a brutal truth, If you aren't reaching them- your competitors are.

Your journey will not be the same as a cute little candy shop who can put out content that everyone loves, and doesn't find offensive. But you didn't sign up for easy, did you?

2. Set Up Your Safety Net. Backup accounts. 2FA on everything. Clear comms channels. Diversified media mix. Don't wait to learn the hard way. Build backup plans on different platforms like Rumble.

3. Be Precise, Not Loud. Algorithm-friendly doesn't mean watered-down. It means strategic. You can still be bold—you just need to be precise. Accuracy is everything.

This industry is not playing on equal ground. But the brands who stay sharp, stay adaptable, and build systems outside of algorithms? They will be around 10 years from now. As usual, be your first line of defence. Your marketing efforts need to be playing offence and defence at the same time.