From The News-Sun (Kendallville):
Q: A private individual wants to advertise the sale of a shotgun under sporting goods. Is there any reason why newspapers should not take ads from private individuals for firearms for sale?
A: It’s not illegal to advertise the sale of a gun by a private individual, but some newspapers have made a policy decision not to advertise such items.
The reason is that in a private sale there is no requirement for the gun owner to conduct a background check to make sure that purchasers are eligible to buy guns – that they’re not felons, for example.
The policy decision is up to individual newspapers.
Contact Steve Key, HSPA executive director and general counsel, with media law questions at skey@hspa.com or (317) 624-4427.