Reddit Bans All Gun Parts Sales in New Terms of Service Update

Reddit has quietly updated its Terms of Service to prohibit all sales or trades of firearm parts and enhancements. This move effectively shutters some of the platform’s longest-running gun-related communities.

Under the new rule, users are barred from buying, selling or exchanging components like triggers, bolts, barrels, magazines and optics. The change also bans posts linking to files or instructions for manufacturing firearm parts, including 3D-printed components.

For years, Reddit served as a meeting ground for enthusiasts who traded and discussed everything from vintage rifle parts to modern upgrades. Communities such as r/GunAccessoriesForSale had tens of thousands of active members and often operated with clear rules and volunteer moderation to keep transactions aboveboard.

Reddit says the update is aimed at reducing liability and simplifying moderation. This aligns it with other mainstream platforms that have stepped away from user-to-user sales of anything related to firearms. The shift, however, also underscores a larger trend with major social media platforms. They are increasingly unwilling to host any form of firearm-adjacent commerce, even when it involves lawful accessories.

The decision leaves many users without a familiar forum for legitimate discussion and exchange. Fortunately, GunBroker has a wide variety of categories for new and used gun parts, optics and just about anything you need to maintain or upgrade your firearm.

In fact, it was a similar policy change by eBay in 1999 that led to the launch of GunBroker as the internet’s premier marketplace for firearms, ammunition, optics and all gun parts and accessories. 

For firearm owners and collectors, Reddit’s move signals the end of an era. It is one more reminder that digital platforms can change the rules overnight. Communities built on them must constantly adapt.