Weapon permit ads on FB

Facebook has been criticised by a gun safety group for taking millions of dollars in advertising revenue to promote a legal ‘‘loophole’’ that allows Americans to obtain ‘‘concealed carry’’ weapon permits without any physical training. The social network’s own records show at least $3.7 million (NZ$5.4M) has been spent since May advertising the ‘‘Virginia loophole’’. It enables would-be gun carriers to get a permit in the state of Virginia in a few minutes by answering 10 questions on their mobile phone, without ever touching a firearm or meeting an instructor. These licences can be obtained by people in 30 other states. The advertisements on Facebook urge users to ‘‘jump on the legal loophole’’ before ‘‘gun-grabbing Democrats’’ close it. Facebook said the ads were classed as ‘‘political advertising’’ because they included ‘‘advocacy’’ related to an issue of national importance, specifically guns.