Recent YouTube Unpleasantness (Patreon)

If you have not seen it, YouTube recently released a new policy of firearms content (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7667605?hl=en). It will not be actually enforced for another 28 days, and as of now we don't know what impact it will actually have. The wording is vague, and it was clearly written by people with a fundamental lack of understanding of firearms. What is most concerning about this change is that it is not about monetization, but rather whether content is allowed to be posted at all. The new rules will be retroactively enforced, so old videos violating them would have to be deleted entirely.

Worst case, it would prohibit any video showing feeding devices which hold more than 30 rounds (mags, drums, belts, etc), any fully automatic firearm, and perhaps anything showing how to load a firearm or showing how firearms work. Best case, it would prohibit showing how to manufacture guns or use bump stocks. So clearly, a wide range of potential outcomes. We will probably not know the actual enforcement standards until the rules take effect next month. This will almost certainly mean that I have to remove at least some content from the back catalog; perhaps a lot of it.

That's the bad news. The good news is that Forgotten Weapons is not going anywhere, and the video archive will not be lost. Thanks to you, I am not dependent on YouTube monetization. They do provide the most robust and accessible video hosting service, but I have at least three alternatives that I am working on, in addition to posting videos to Full30 (which I will continue to do) and starting to post them in full length on Facebook (which I will do if necessary, but I do not see Facebook as a viable long-term solution). By the time these rules take effect, I will have at least one very effective alternative host in addition to Full30, and losing YouTube will not mean any permanent loss of content or loss of my ability to continue providing you with new content.

That being said, not every channel in this arena has the options that I do. If you have other, smaller channels that you are concerned about or if you want to continue being able to see Forgotten Weapons in YouTube, I would encourage you to contact YouTube and tell them so. I do not like this sort of drama, and I would much prefer to have the status quo remain, and be able to spend my time making the content I love instead of fighting to be able to publish it. 

If you go to the policy link at the very top of this post, there is a question at the bottom asking if it was helpful. Click "no", and it will allow you to explain why you disagree with the new policy. Please be respectful and polite, but tell YouTube that this action is unacceptable to you.

Thank you all for your support! I look forward to many more years of bringing you Forgotten Weapons, whether it is by way or YouTube or any other platform.