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YouTube to Ban Videos That Promote Gun Sales

The new rules go into effect next month, but gun channel operators worry that many of their videos will be taken down.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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YouTube has quietly rolled out a new policy banning videos that promote gun sales. Content that "intends to sell firearms or certain firearms accessories," including bump stocks, is no longer allowed, according to a new policy made public on Monday.

The rule applies to videos that promote direct sales or offer links to gun-selling sites. YouTube will also start taking down videos that provide instructions on manufacturing a firearm, ammunition, or installing modifications to a gun.

YouTube Videos GunsThe new policy will go into effect a month from now. A YouTube spokeswoman told PCMag: "While we've long prohibited the sale of firearms, we recently notified creators of updates we will be making around content promoting the sale or manufacture of firearms and their accessories."

The streaming service is making the policy change a month after the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people. Last October, YouTube also banned videos that showed viewers how to install bump stocks, a gun attachment that can make a semiautomatic rifle fire faster.

Gun enthusiasts are not happy with the latest rule change. "This is really bad," wrote Full30, a gun video publisher. "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," Full30 claimed in their Facebook post.

Another gun channel on YouTube, with over 130,000 subscribers, said half of their videos violated the rules. The upcoming change will also undermine publicity for gun rights supporters, it claimed.

"You have to realize YouTube is a recruitment tool for Second Amendment advocates," said an author behind the VSO Gun Channel. "To keep firearm issues relevant, you have to be on mainstream platforms."

In response to the rule change, one gun channel called InRange TV said it will post videos on PornHub.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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