YouTube Gun Channels Concerned About New Rules
Kevin Felts 03.27.18
While browsing through YouTube and watching various gun channels, one thing is for sure, people are on edge.
YouTube announced the site will be implementing some new gun related policies. Some of the policies are rather vague, such as modifying a firearm. Will a video about installing a scope be considered a firearm modification?
Reload Hawaii stated he is going to rename his channel due to the new YouTube rules – RELOAD’S RENAME AND YOUTUBES NEW GUN POLICIES. The reason, he was not sure how the name “reload” would do with the censorship.
Ian from Forgotten Weapons made an interesting point. He has over 1,300 videos, which ones will violate the new policies? Who has the time to go through 1,300 videos and look for content that “might” violate the new rules? Forgotten Weapons and YouTube’s New Firearms Policy.
Some of the videos Ian made over the years were from an auction house. In those videos he uses words like “up for auction.” So will YouTube give his account a warning for the auction videos? After three warnings his account will get banned. What’s the chance three videos out of over 1,300 will violate the new rules?
On the SurvivalistBoards YouTube channel, I removed just about all of my gun videos. There was one showing how to install a scope mount on a DS Arms FN/FAL, that video was removed as well. I felt it was a matter of time before YouTube cracked down on gun videos, so I stopped making gun videos years ago.
Chris at Small Arms Solutions made a video talking about his concerns – New Youtube Rules on Firearms Channels. I met Chris at Industry Day at the Range, SHOT Show 2018, he was wonderful to talk to. Unlike other gun channels, Chris talks about various changes in the firearm industry over the decades. Hopefully his channel will not be affected.
Military Arms Chanel posted a 29 minute long video about the current state of the right to keep and bear arms – State of the 2nd: AWB of 2018, YouTube Gun Channel Ban, Online Cultural War. The video talks about more than just YouTube, it talks about the cultural war on our right to keep and bear arms.
Sootch00 posted a video on his YouTube talking about his thoughts on the new policies – YouTube’s New Firearm Policy: End of Gun Channels? He seems more optimistic than some of the other gun channels. Hopefully he is right and gun videos will stay on YouTube.
Final Thoughts
Some people think YouTube being anti-gun is something new. YouTube is owned by Google, and Google has had a long time policy prohibiting weapons. In all honesty, I am surprised gun and knife videos stayed on YouTube as long as they have.
We will have to wait and see how things on YouTube will play out. Chances are a lot of gun channels will go away. Some of them may come back, some may disappear forever.
