McKenna Geer, who is a competitive rifle shooter on Team USA for the Paralympics, is the latest person to be censored on social media. In her case, the offense was merely posting pictures with the guns that she uses in competitions. While possessing a gun is a protected individual right, Instagram will flag your posts and bar you from some sites if you post a picture with a gun . . . even if it is part of your sport at the Olympics or Paralympics.
Geer posted on Instagram screenshots of Instagram’s notification that her account was now restricted.
Team USA’s website states that the wife and mother has struggled with “amyoplasia arthrogryposis in her left hand and both feet, causing her muscles not to form properly.”
Geer competed in both the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. She won a bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
She noted that “athletes rely on our social media accounts to spread the word about our sport, firearm safety, build our personal brand, and connect with potential sponsors. Many of us (myself included) are either not paid or paid very little for our involvement in this sport. Our social media presence can often be the avenue that pays for us to continue competing.”
In addition to flagging her posts, the Instagram notification informed her that “Your account and content won’t appear in places like Explore, Search, Suggested Users, Reels, and Feed Recommendations.”
Geer’s experience is all too familiar.
While Instagram says that she may appeal the decision, these companies make it virtually impossible to speak to anyone at the company. They do not even make press contacts public. It is often very difficult for people to figure out how to appeal and they often face a corporate brick wall unless the matter gets into the press.
In this case, Instagram wins the gold medal for censorship with its actions undermining both free speech and gun rights. According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 32% of U.S. adults say they own a gun. That is over 75 million Americans. For many of those citizens, shooting is a cherished sport and passion. Yet, taking a picture with a lawful weapon can get you flagged and censored under the systems in place at sites like Instagram.
It is not clear what the company does with other images of guns like these:
