Guns in the Hood!

Real Talk with Judge Dawson

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are among the most active places that Americans, especially American youth, are speeding their time. It could be argued that so much time is spent on social media that its’ overall influence is greater than parents and even schools. In this day and age we must be fearful or at least careful about the far-reaching influence of social media, and we must be diligent in monitoring its use and influence over our lives.

Violence through social media is a growing trend. We have cyber bullying, arguments, and fights breaking out over things revealed on social media. Yes I said fights. There are people who post certain things on social media and then meet in person to fight over the dispute. That is an example of how social media in blurring the lines between what happens online and what happens in our physical reality. Another area where this blurring of lines is occurring is in the access and sales of weapons. There is a growing ability to have access to the purchase of guns by way of social media sources through advertisement and posts. However, Facebook is cracking down on gun-related posts. The social media giant is taking measures to block minors from seeing postings about gun sales and will take down sales ads from vendors who don't require a background check for the purchases. The change is a win for groups like “Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America” and “Mayors Against Illegal Guns,” which have lobbied for more restrictive gun policies at businesses including Starbucks, Staples and Facebook. If you don’t believe there is a problem, imagine that your child can go to a site and see information about a friend's birthday party and at the same time, catch a glimpse of a location to buy an AK-47.

To be totally clear, until now, Facebook regulated only paid ads and sponsored stories, which could not promote weapons of any kind. Images of weapons are generally acceptable as long as the weapon is not pointed directly at the viewer. User posts could say almost anything. Although the focus is on gun sales, eventually the new changes will apply to the promotion of other restricted items like alcohol or adult products.

Over the next few weeks, Facebook will begin deleting gun sale posts that are flagged by users, indicating that the post is against Facebook policy.

The changes will extend to Instagram, where someone searching for a hashtag, another way to find a specific post, related to gun sales will get a pop-up requiring them to acknowledge the relevant laws that apply to them before they can see search results. It’s important to note that these changes are not taking place without objection. There has been a bit of backlash from the American public who feel that restrictions on the sale of guns, in any way, are restrictions on their liberties. It’s likely that those people don’t see as many fatalities and gun related crimes as I do in the courtroom. They don’t see the violence in our streets. They don’t see the destruction of our youth. They don’t experience the robberies and drive-by shootings.

When a 15-year-old boy was caught with a 9mm handgun at school in Kentucky, he told investigators he had arranged the purchase through the "Portsmouth Pickers" Facebook group."It's not just giving criminals access to guns, it's giving our children access to guns," says Shannon Watts, founder of “Moms Demand Action.” As a Judge I am the first to acknowledge that everyone has rights and whatever the laws in the United States permit or prohibits I am obligated to uphold those laws. However, when it comes to unfettered access to the tools of violence and destruction, I am in favor of keeping our communities safe.

For more discussion on this subject or others, join Judge Dawson’s Cycle Breaker/Finish First program on Monday nights at 5:30pm at the East Cleveland Municipal Court. East Cleveland Municipal Court’s Judge William L. Dawson is on a mission to help people to Finish First, live their best lives and be Cycle Breakers!

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