YouTube Bans Firearms Channels
BY Herschel Smith6 years, 8 months ago
Those who follow firearms, shooting, and tactical channels on YouTube know about the travails of Hickok45 on YouTube. Venerable and old school, Hickok45 tests and comments on firearms manufacturers send him. Sometimes he shoots his own firearms, but always, he shoots, comments and often provides history and mechanical commentary on the machines he is using. Sometimes it is with admiration, sometimes slight disdain, but always honest and interesting.
Hickok45 met with disapproval from some redditors when he supported the NRA in light of the compromises the NRA recommended (e.g., bump stocks, enhanced background checks), but being a former LEO and old school like he is, I wouldn’t have expected anything else from him. Just as interesting to me is Jeff Quinn of Gunblast, especially when shooting and commenting on revolvers, but always interesting.
Hickok45 met with several bans on YouTube for promoting products, but he never really did that and always appealed the decision, mostly meeting with reinstatement by those who run YouTube. But all of these folks may need to find new homes.
Full30: I received an email from my Google/YouTube rep at 9:30pm tonight. He requested an emergency meeting tomorrow to discuss YouTube’s new policies regarding firearms content.
This is really bad. Please read this carefully and a couple of times, and let it sink in. 1/3rd of my videos or more will need to be removed. If you don’t have them removed in 30 days, your channel will be deleted for policy violations.
I wish this were a joke. It’s not. I feel horrible for reloading channels or NFA channels. Showing how to make ammo or even showing the installation of a silencer is prohibited. Hell, showing the use of a magazine larger than 30 rounds is prohibited! Belt feds are a no go.
I’ll try to find out as much as I can from my rep tomorrow. I mean, are legal machine guns and silencers being demonstrated really going to get us account strikes now?
Please read this guys… I’m in shock, but then I knew this day wold come. It looks like it’s here in 30 days. I’m at a total loss for words. ~Tim
Redditors are up in arms, because the Google guidance says the following.
“YouTube prohibits certain kinds of content featuring firearms. Specifically, we don’t allow content that:
Intends to sell firearms or certain firearms accessories through direct sales (e.g., private sales by individuals) or links to sites that sell these items.
These accessories include but may not be limited to accessories that enable a firearm to simulate automatic fire or convert a firearm to automatic fire (e.g., bump stocks, gatling triggers, drop-in auto sears, conversion kits), and high capacity magazines (i.e., magazines or belts carrying more than 30 rounds).
Provides instructions on manufacturing a firearm, ammunition, high capacity magazine, homemade silencers/suppressors, or certain firearms accessories such as those listed above. This also includes instructions on how to convert a firearm to automatic or simulated automatic firing capabilities.Shows users how to install the above-mentioned accessories or modifications.”
“Manufacturing a firearm.” Reddit understands that this means if you teach someone to field strip an AR-15 or replace a bolt carrier group and check head space (Brownells), you fall into this category. If you comment positively about a particular firearm, part, accessory, or manufacturer, you fall into these categories.
Their temporary answer is to start downloading targeted videos. But make no mistake about it, they’re pissed off. There is also no mistaking the fact that at the moment, there is no replacement for the information and firearms channels on YouTube.
This could possibly effect other related videos such as tactical instruction where firearms are discussed, such as with Kyle Lamb, Travis Haley, Chris Costa, and John Lovell.
I’ve long thought that an alternative needed to be developed to YouTube other than Live Leak, but to date there is nothing. Suffice it to say that the progressives at Google are winning this battle. What happens in the longer term war will be up to someone other than Google.
You might have noticed that I rarely embed or even link YouTube videos any more. I’ve made my choice – has the rest of America?