eBay rethinks firearms policy
Virginia Tech gunman bought ammo clips online
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After learning that items purchased on eBay may have been used in the Virginia Tech shootings this past April, the popular online auction site has revised its policy on firearms, weapons, and knives.
On April 16, in Blacksburg, Virginia, a student at Virginia Tech University killed 32 people and wounded 25 before committing suicide. Three weeks before the attack, the gunman purchased several empty ammunition clips from an eBay seller based in Idaho.
Currently, eBay prohibits the sale of guns and other weapons regulated by U.S. federal and state governments, and in mid-August, it will also ban the listing of any part that's used in the firing of a gun, AuctionBytes.com reports. This includes bullet tips, brass casing and shells, barrels, cylinders, magazines, firing pins, trigger assemblies, and more.
"We felt that revisiting our policies was not only necessary, but the right thing to do," reads an announcement from Matt Halprin, eBay's vice president of trust and safety. "After much consideration, the Trust & Safety policy team - along with our executive leaders at eBay Inc. - have made the decision to further restrict more of these items than federal and state regulations require." ®
COMMENTS
Killing other people?
Ian says
"Quite frankly I don't see why anyone should be allowed to buy or sell items which have the SOLE purpose of killing other people... "
But of course most guns don't have the SOLE purpose of killing other people.
Still as others have pointed out there are other auction sites and in the UK we have to finalise the sale at a face to face meeting - usually in the back corner of a supermarket car park!
gunbroker.com
Let ebay shoot themselves in the foot. Everyone I know is moving their auctions to gunbroker.com. Their listing fees are cheaper and they have an excellent feedback system.
Free Gifts?
In the UK it's illegal to resell tickets for football matches on the internet - someone once bought one on ebay and died of a paper cut from the ticket or something. However, a quick search of ebay will always turn up souvenir scarves for sale with free match tickets for big games.
So, maybe you could consider selling "God Bless America" bumper stickers and include a free bullet clip, M16, trigger-finger etc...
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