Well, it would appear that 2023 is off to an interesting start! YouTube has long held a love/ hate relationship with firearms content creators. Depending on the circles you run in and how involved you might be with the back end side of gun content on YouTube, you may well be familiar with the progression towards such content being kicked from the platform.

Before I go any further, let me point out that I recognize and understand that YouTube, as a private company, has the right to choose what they allow on their platform- regardless of my feelings or yours, on that topic. The debate on whether they should be deemed a public utility and 1st Amendment protections applied, is a complicated and nuanced one that we might discuss in another article.

There was a period of time, fairly early in YouTube’s life, when firearms content was less common. These days were like the Wild West- no real limitations on what could be uploaded as long as it was (mostly) legal. Think FPS Russia, Hickok45, even Demo Ranch. There were more channels, obviously, including some that were a great resource for folks looking to learn about reloading, or home gunsmithing. Part of the relative rarity of pew pew content in those days was that cameras, computers, and editing software was much more complicated and expensive than it is now. These days you can pretty much build a channel with a smartphone if you’re so inclined. These were the days when folks really couldn’t fathom doing YouTube as a job, or really even making money off of doing it.

That changed, however, when advertising dollars started making their way to the creators. This was, and is, a good thing. YouTube gets a cut, and in turn hosts the massive server space needed for unfathomable amounts of video data uploaded each day, and provides the reach that only YouTube can. The creator shares in the money that their content and viewers helps earn as said viewers watch or see advertisements. Or, in the case of YouTube Premium- the money that viewers pay to not see those advertisements. However, this brought about a shift in power from YouTube, to the advertisers paying to have their ads run. What happens when something like firearms, become a super hot button issue politically in the era of Cancel Culture, and a Colgate toothpaste ad is shown on a video about an AR-15? Well, Colgate gets blasted by the anti-gun side because they think Colgate “sponsored” the video, or is in some other way, affiliated with the content creator who dared show a “weapon of war” in a video.

This stems from a lack of understanding about how YouTube handles running these ads. We, the content creators, have ZERO influence or input over which ads run on our channels. Hell, I had ads from pro gun control organizations running on videos in which I was specifically speaking against gun control. The ad space is sold by auction by YouTube, and depending on demand, the cost may rise of fall for advertisers. I normally see it peak leading into the Christmas season as advertisers try to sell our extremely consumeristic society on the PERFECT gift for whoever. YouTube has in recent years, adopted a more nuanced approach to content being suitable for advertisers based on what those advertisers want to be affiliated with. Content may be flagged with a green icon on the creator side, signifying that it’s “Suitable for all advertisers.” Other content may earn itself a yellow icon, signifying that it is in “Limited” status-

“This video may earn limited or no ad revenue due to content identified as not suitable for most advertisers. It remains fully playable and is eligible to earn subscription revenue from YouTube Premium.”

If content is flagged with a red icon- no monetization. This could happen because of copyright issues, including music used, or any number of things that go against YouTube’s “Advertiser Friendly Guidelines.” Notice how that’s a different set of rules than “Community Guidelines?” And therein lies the hurdle. Our battle as firearms content creators isn’t even with YouTube so much as it is with public perception and companies trying to make as much profit as they can. And who can really fault the companies? After all, the goal of a business is to make money. Taking the side of, or even appearing to take the side of pro-gun channels, or firearms companies, etc., is enough justification for the cancel culture crowd to boycott, harass, and otherwise make life miserable for these companies.

Over time, the goalposts have been moved, and continue to be. Hell, they aren’t even set in the ground anymore at the rate they move. We have gone from virtually anything gun related goes, to not even being able to show some firearms being operated safely with the parts that come with the gun without receiving a strike, and the content being removed. For example- AR-15 rifles typically come with a 30 round magazine. That’s not high-capacity, that’s standard, providing you live in the majority of states which do not have a capacity restriction in place for magazines. YouTube has changed their criteria for firearms content to receive the “green” icon to showing firearms with 25 rounds or less. That’s not even a standard capacity magazine for an AR-15 rifle. Firearms modification is also outlawed, but the term used to mean gunsmithing type work, or illegal modification- like converting a rifle to full-auto. Now it seems to be interpreted as something as simple as installing a light or optic- stuff that someone with an IQ above room temp in a freezer could figure out in two minutes.

Again, I don’t think the fault for this rests on YouTube, as inconvenient as that is. I posit that the blame rests entirely with the uninformed public, who pressures the companies running advertisements, who then pressure YouTube. I find it ironic that the very people responsible for the slow chokehold of censorship and de-platforming of gun content are those who would learn the most from viewing it. Much like inmates running an asylum, the rabidly anti-gun folks seem to be calling the shots on the items and people they don’t know anything about. They, often from a place of privilege, have never needed a firearm in their lives for any reason, so you don’t either. Much less a scary black gun shooting what is essentially a varmint round. They don’t care that you live an hour away from anything, and might need to defend your family for a long period of time before law enforcement can even show up. They’ve never been the victim of violent crime where a can could have altered the outcome, or they HAVE been, and don’t want to acknowledge that if they had been sufficiently armed themselves and proficient, that might have changed the sequence of events.

Naturally, some of you might be wondering why we don’t just upload to a different platform. We are, but as I said towards the top of this article- YouTube is THE place to be to earn revenue and reach the largest possible audience. Personally, I’m on YouTube, Rumble, Utreon, Odysee, and Juxxi. I can unequivocally say that my views on YouTube are orders of magnitude more than the others combined. We, as creators, can upload content wherever you, the viewers, tell us. But if you aren’t watching that content on those platforms, there’s really no point. I fear it will take a true de-platforming of all firearms content creators to see viable alternatives to YouTube rise up to match its reach and earnings potential. That’s not what I want at all, obviously, but I fear that is where we are headed.

No, the war is not just with YouTube. The war we are fighting is against a public perception based on lies, ignorance, and fear. This is the result of allowing feelings to carry more weight than facts. This is what we get when the H.O.A. mindset kicks in- it’s not enough for me to make rules about my house, but I need to make rules about yours too. The good news about this is the fight isn’t just for us creators- it’s for everyone who supports the 2nd Amendment. It’s a fight we must undertake to correct bad information, to demonstrate safety, and to articulate, respectfully, our reasons for our beliefs. Yes, it is our right and I feel the same way, but it is also imperative to counter the opposing narrative with respect and truth whenever we can.