Facebook and Instagram Ads Push Gun Silencers Disguised as Car Parts
WiredThousands of ads on Facebook and Instagram have promoted “fuel filters” using videos demonstrating how they can be easily modified into gun silencers—a process that, without federal approval, could lead to felony charges. Despite Meta’s policies banning ads for silencers on the company’s social networks, the promotions have persisted for years, driven by what appears to be a single network of more than 100 Facebook pages marketing “fuel filters” that can be easily turned into gun silencers, WIRED has found. So, you can legally own one without going through the paperwork to own a suppressor, because it isn’t one.” The ads often recycle the same text, referencing “light and durable air-grade aluminum,” and use videos stitched together from a handful of YouTube clips featuring firearms influencers and enthusiasts. In November 2023, the ATF warned federal firearms licensees about marketing silencers as “solvent traps,” or contraptions purportedly used to collect gun oil and residue during cleaning.
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