YOUTUBE SET TO REMOVE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF GUN CONTENT

Urgent warning to any and all that use YouTube in any capacity for gun related stuff.  Below is a link to a new YouTube terms of service update that may practically ban the entirety of gun channels on YouTube.  Given that they previously (without any anti-gun terms) would crack down hard against gun channels, my statement is reasonable.  Spikes Tactical, a company that made my first gun (an AR-15!!), was already removed from YouTube due to the new firearms terms of service.  The rest of YouTube gun content has been given 30 days (as of a day or two ago) notice before they are removed.  

YouTube Guidelines change link:
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7667605
From the link:
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.
  

Remember, anything as listed in the new addition to the terms of service can be banned or removed from YouTube!  There are many minor channels that have had content posted here that should not be allowed to be lost.  Off the top of my head I can think of a link to a Bob Marvel gunsmith class where a YouTuber video'd some of his progress in class.  This would absolutely not be allowed anymore.  Another video I can remember was a guy talking about the advantages of his Marvel conversion and a brief review of it.  (It may have been a Nelson, I confuse them a lot)  I also seem to recall the late Jerry Keefer posting a video or two on YouTube.  These shouldn't just be deleted!

If you value any of your YouTube gun content at all, head over to this reddit page and see if any of the content you watch is listed.  What is this reddit thread for?  Specifically for backing up what YouTube will likely take down.  There is a lot of stuff out there that may be worth saving that isn't likely to be listed in the reddit discussions due to its low traffic nature.  If you don't know how to save this stuff you can learn fairly easily by doing some internet searches (use startpage.com as it doesn't give google the clicks) or you can help noting relevant videos.  Just follow the lead of the posters in that thread and over at AR15.com (link below).  Also, it's not likely that we'll be able to save them all, after all, this gun content has been posted slowly over the ten or so years of YouTube's life and we have less than 30 days to save it all.  If you have the know how you could also start migrating videos over to bitchute or guntube as well.  I'm not as familiar with guntube.

Reddit link:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Firearms/comments/85sfrl/what_gun_channels_do_we_need_to_archive_and_where/

AR15.com discussion thread
https://www.ar15.com/forums/general/-/5-2093243/?

Bitchute:
https://www.bitchute.com/

Guntube
https://theguntube.com/

Does anyone believe themtube is doing this due to business reasons?  Of course, this is a political discussion.  I boycott many places, many things, due to this crap.  I don't even watch TV programming any more.  Programming being the operative word.

Saladman, this is OK to post, but I did delete your duplicate post in the Announcements subforum, as duplicate posts are discouraged since it splits the conversation and that forum is more about BE events, which this is not related to.

My view is that this an informative post and not directly political, as it has to do with a change in business policy that could affect our members that enjoy BE content on YouTube.

I do not post gun videos, but I certainly enjoy them.  Thinking that YouTube could take down a channel like Forgotten Weapons because they highlight James Julia auction items or delete some of the very high quality gunsmithihg videos is sad.

Yet, I have seen many ridiculous videos depicting incredibly unsafe shooting habits and smithing techniques, not to mention borderline legality.  Does anyone ACTUALLY believe that those guys have Form 1 approval for their soda bottle and oil can suppressors?

Youtube is a private business, so is in their right to enforce content as they see fit, but this type of thing often squashes those that have good intentions as collateral damage.

Interestingly, since this thread could easily turn political, now I will have to watch the comments in it to make sure it stays within our own forum bounds.  Life is funny that way.

Why doesn't this surprise me?

I hope the ban stays limited to those videos which are showing how to circumvent laws.   Stupid and dangerous videos should still be allowed to continue as those two "judgements" are in the eye of the viewer.

Saladman, if the end of YouTube gun videos (as you predict it) happens, there is no reason you can't create your own business to host gun-related videos - similar to how GunBroker fills a need that Ebay is not interested in serving.  Seems to me that would be a more productive response.

Saladman, is there a way to determine if YouTube will ban a channel?  Will they notify the channel owner before doing so?  I do have several videos about reloading.  So I may fall under the policy 'Provides instructions on manufacturing ... ammunition...'

Aprilian wrote:there is no reason you can't create your own business to host gun-related videos - similar to how GunBroker fills a need that Ebay is not interested in serving.  Seems to me that would be a more productive response.

There are so many niche market applications that are underserved or outright threatened by being part of a monolithic application.

Even something as benign as cooking videos could be better served and generate more revenue on a more specialised website.

The issues are always the same. Time, money, and website development experience. IMO, the generalised websites and services have made a few generalised web developers VERY rich. If anyone studying web development asked me for advice I'd say "Concentrate on your hobby".

The opportunities in the firearms, firearms competition, and firearms sports seems enormous to me. Not necessarily in a club by club or discipline by discipline manner, but in a cooperative revenue and talent sharing manner.

joy2shoot wrote:Saladman, is there a way to determine if YouTube will ban a channel?  Will they notify the channel owner before doing so?  I do have several videos about reloading.  So I may fall under the policy 'Provides instructions on manufacturing ... ammunition...'

I'm not sure how it was back in the days when the internet was less politicized, but nowadays it's rare to receive any kind of warning before video removal or account strike.  It's entirely plausible the people that will be enforcing this stuff have little understanding of what is allowed and disallowed which will likely lead to broad casting of the banning nets, or narrow castings.  It's impossible to say at this point.  The only solution is to try and slowly migrate to another website as time allows, bitchute, guntube or something like that.  
Heck InRange TV moved over to Pornhub.     Of course that's just a political stunt.

Ian from Forgotten Weapons and InRange has posted an update video that may be of interest.  

Nothing dramatic, but he is getting prepared for any situation.  It is good to hear direct from those affected directly, such as content providers.  Seems like the main issue is that there is not enough specificity in the YouTube rules and he is not 100% sure that any uploaded video in particular could give him a strike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eoLZ7SJIJo

This is from a different discussion, but it has become my own plan on how to store videos I really need to keep around:

==================================
Bullseye_Stan
FWIW, this is the video downloader I use:
 https://www.4kdownload.com/products/product-videodownloader
==================================


I have been saving most of my important videos as "bookmarks".  I guess I've got 30 days or so to download the ones I need the most.  Technically, YouTube videos aren't supposed to be downloaded, but I think they need to be preserved.

Aprilian wrote:I hope the ban stays limited to those videos which are showing how to circumvent laws.   Stupid and dangerous videos should still be allowed to continue as those two "judgements" are in the eye of the viewer.

Sorry, but I disagree with your statement.

I see no reason to expect that non-gun people would know which videos are showing how to circumvent laws.  Same reasoning as to why various
gun laws make little sense -- they are written by people that don't know much of anything about guns (except that they are "bad").

As far as stupid and dangerous videos (such as some hick handing his girlfriend a hand cannon and laughing at her after she gets hit in the head
with the recoil), these just reinforce the idea of guns are dangerous and gun enthusiasts are nuts, crazy, evil.  I submit that we would be better
off without these videos... a picture is worth 1000 words.

Doug