The love-hate relationship between the firearm-related Content Creators and the world’s largest online video sharing website continues. In recent months, especially in the light of mass shooting incidents in the U.S., YouTube has been very vigilant policing firearms video uploaded to its video sharing platform. Cases of channels being banned then unbanned have been reported and for those who rely on YouTube revenues as an income source, their livelihoods are in jeopardy.

Even if this is more about real world firearms, even airsoft YouTube channels are affected when some known airsoft channels such as Airsoftology get swept up, especially of a blanket ban is instituted.

Now, according to Josh of Funker350.com, YouTube has started to ban firearm-related content. Calling it a “dictatorial” policy, the website says that the new policy is not good for the firearms community. Checking the updated policy on content featuring firearms, YouTube has this to say:

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.

While the policy banning direct sales of firearms on YouTube and other social media platforms such as Facebook has been in place for some time now, the new policy prohibits content that show devices or accessories that will allow a semi-auto firearm to shoot or simulate full-auto firing. This is in response to the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting in which the shooter, 64-year old Stephen Paddock, using a vantage point from a hotel floor, shot at people who were at the Route 91 Harvest music festival, killing 58 people and injuring 851. The shooter used bump fire stocks on the semi-auto rifles he used in shooting. This led to calls  for the banning of bump stocks and also institute a ban of high capacity magazines.

But beyond what is written as policy on YouTube, Josh writes that:

At first, these rules and guidelines may seem reasonable to the average person who views them. When you dig a little deeper into the firearms YouTube community however, you see an entirely different picture. No longer are firearms content creators allowed to post videos where they are sponsored by members of the gun industry. Also, there is no retroactive protection for channels that have violated these rules before they existed. That means, any video that was ever sponsored by any ammunition company, or webpage that sells firearms or firearm accessories is now an offense the creator can be banned for. This means many creators like Hickok45, who have audibly mentioned their sponsors in every video, will have to remove substantial portions of their video library, just because they have directly mentioned these sponsors. Mention of those sponsors could be considered a violation of the guidelines, and result in a channel strike, even if the video was created in 2011. Three strikes and the creator loses access to the channel they have been working to create.

Below is a video that is seen to be in violation of the YouTube policy according to the Funker350.com article:

If true, that is indeed a big worry for those content creators who are making a living creating content for the firearms community. Other content creators are looking for other video sharing platforms that would allow them to post their content that YouTube is banning or perhaps create their own video sharing platform dedicated to the firearms community. They do have options, but to leave YouTube which has 1 billion active users each month, it will be hard decision to make.

Will the airsoft channels be swept up again in this new policy? So far, we have not heard of Airsoft content creators being affected by it. Popular Airsoft has its own YouTube Channel and so far has not experience what other airsoft channels have experienced. Other than that, it’s time to back up all those videos in case there will be mass exodus of gun-related channels, including airsoft.