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Writer's pictureGraham Baates

YouTube Attack on Journalism


30NOV24 UPDATE: YouTube had become even more petty about it. They recently put "limited ads" on a video citing a specific time stamp. At that time stamp I say "over at my website which YouTube won't let me mention". They are dinging the financial viability of the channel for me mentioning the censorship. Please join us on Rumble.


One of more than 60 emails I woke up to while away on business.
One of more than 60 emails I woke up to while away on business.

Last week while away in Finland to help exhibit an advanced firearms training system I received 65 emails like this one all at once. YouTube had deleted 65 GBGuns videos en masse. They were removed for being "Content that facilitates the sale of certain regulated goods, like firearms, ammunition, or prohibited firearm accessories..."


It doesn't take a 5-year old to understand that GBGuns doesn't sell ANYTHING. We don't even sell T-shirts. This attack is obviously meant to suppress information about the safe and ethical use of firearms because the less people know about them, the more afraid of them they will be or more likely they are to hurt themselves; building and supporting the unraveling of our birth rights.


There was an appeal option that required 6 clicks per video and some typing.

pardon the sloppy phone photo, but take a look at the url of the appeal.  Notice any specific words?
pardon the sloppy phone photo, but take a look at the url of the appeal. Notice any specific words?

While powering my laptop from a battery boost pack in the hotel I spent over an hour individually appealing each video removal before heading to breakfast. By the time the elevator had me at breakfast my phone was blowing up with all 65 responses.

YouTube "carefully" reviewed each appeal...
YouTube "carefully" reviewed each appeal...

What Was Lost?

  • 65 videos and over 1,500,000 views were lost from the channel. As a creator this means a loss of momentum which the algorithm uses to gauge how future videos will be pushed; ie. if you'll see the videos or not in your feed.

  • Some of these videos were the only one of their type produced by a trained shooter who approaches videos with a balanced journalistic style.

  • Some of these videos were the first on the subject, as early as a year before any other channel showed the same thing.

  • Some of these videos are of now-discontinued guns or companies that have ceased to exist and served as historical reference.

  • Some of these videos were roundups that could only be completed after reviewing each individual piece included in them.

  • All of these videos were syndicated in one way or another meaning they were posted here or on other websites for reference and are now broken links scattered around the internet on news and manufacturer websites.


A List of videos deleted by YouTube:

Adams Arms AA 19 Shooting Impressions

Ammo Shipment!

Ammo Squared Update and Coupon

AR Chassis? Springfield Saint Edge ATC Writer Ride Along

Are Single Stack 9s Dead?

Arex Zero 2S Shooting Impressions

Arex Zero 2S Tabletop Review and Field Strip

ATI AHSS FXS 9 Shooting Impreeions

ATI AHSS FXS 9 Tabletop Review and Field Strip

BRG USA BRG9 Elite Shooting Impressions

BRG USA BRG9 Elite Tabletop Review and Field Strip

Calling All AR Users! RMT Triggers Nomad Solution

Canik Rival SFX Dark Side Shooting Impressions

Canik Rival SFX Dark Side Tabletop Review and Field Strip

Century Arms BFT47 Core Tabletop Review and Field Strip

Creating an Ammo Bank Account

DRD Tactical Aptus Tabletop Review and Field Strip

EAA Girsan MC9 Shooting Impressions

FN 509 Midsize Shooting Impressions

FN 509 Midsize Tabletop Review and Field Strip

FN High Power Shooting Impressions

Get Cheaper Ammo! Ammo Squared

Grand Power P40L 10mm Shooting Impressions

Grand Power P40L 10mm Tabletop Review and Field Strip

Grand Power Stribog SP9A3 Tabletop Review and Field Strip

Grand Power Stribog SP9A3S Shooting Impressions

How I get Ammo: Ammo Squared Spring 2018 Shipment

How to Clean A Pistol (Buddy Tec's Fault) Grand Power K100 X-Trim Example

Icarus Precision Equipped Sig P365XL Range Test

Icarus Precision Sig P365XL Teya's Quick Take

Inside Icarus Precision

Lakeline LLC Ported Taurus GX4 Barrel

Lionheart Regulus Alpha Blackout Shooting Impressions

MeCanik MO1 Micro Red Dot

Meta Tactical Apex Glock Carbin Bullpup Conversion Shooting Impressions

Meta Tactical Apex Glock Carbine Conversion Tabletop Video

New FN High Power Tabletop Review and Field Strip

New Lionheart Industries Regulus Alpha Tabletop Review and Field Strip

PINEWORLD K5 Should You Have a Safe?

PSA Dagger Tabletop Review and Field Strip

PTR 32 HK 32 Clone Tabletop Peek

Red Dot Considerations

Romanian Surplus 380 Ammo Test

S&W CSX Tabletop Review and Field Strip 2 0

SAR USA SAR9 C Shooting Impressions

SAR USA SAR9 Sport Shooting Impressions

SAR USA SAR9 Sport Tabletop Review and Field Strip

SCCY DVG 1 RD Tabletop Review and Field Strip

SCCY DVG 1 Shooting Impressions

Sig P320 XCompact Shooting Impressions

Sig P365 380 Shooting Impressions

Sig P365 380 Tabletop Review and Field Strip

Sig P365 380 Teya's Quick Take

Smith & Wesson CSX Shooting Impressions

Taming the Sig P365XL

Taurus G3XL Shooting Impressions

Taurus G3XL Tabletop Review and Field Strip

Taurus G3XL Teya's Quick Take

The Amazing WOOX Furiosa Experience

The Canik Guide Video Version

Tisas PX 9 Gen 3 Shooting Impressions

Tisas PX 9 Gen 3 Tabletop Review and Field Strip

Walther PDP F Series Shooting Impressions

Walther PDP F Series Tabletop Review and Field Strip

Wonderfully Different BBTechs BB6

Wonderfully Different Lionheart Regulus

What Can We Do?

  • I will try to debate with YouTube, but am not holding my breath.

  • Changes will be happening to this website, I will stop embedding YouTube videos and instead move to Rumble Links. Wix (the hosting service I pay for) does not allow Rumble embedding currently, but the links will still take you to the Rumble video.

  • If you are not signed up for the GBGunsDepot email list please do so, it is only used to let you know of articles publishing, and if you do not actively read and click the emails you are automatically removed from future emails (I don't spam, don't use the emails to try and sell you anything).

  • Subscribe to the GBGuns Rumble account. YouTube broke the syndication, but I will begin uploading there deliberately.

  • If you want to reduce the power of Google and YouTube, stop using Google as your search engine. YouTube's monopoly on traffic is largely in part to the fact that it is owned by Google and so any time you search for something you're going to be given YouTube results. Each one of us is less than a drop in the global bucket of web traffic, but we can support other companies instead.


I have my own political and ethical standards, and do my best to keep them private. My journalism is about firearms, recording history, helping people make educated deciscions, and not influencing them. This attack however is unacceptable. Rumble is promising to be a safe place for all content, even if the topic doesn't support authoritarianism. This attack is also a reminder of why I started this website in the first place. I thank each of you who have used the affiliate links to support this site; it's not cheap to run.

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16 Comments


joeT51
5 days ago

YT's behavior is starting to look like their petty form of revenge for the outcome of the POTUS election, meant to show their relevance in 'shaping the narrative'... I guess one response could be to report every post by a hard-left-leaning creator as inappropriate, salacious, or otherwise offensive. Another would be to cancel any YouTube Premium subscriptions we might have as a form of protest. Or we could all move to Rumble or Pepperbox, and tell YT to stick it...

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hamsaplo
6 days ago

I was wondering where your videos were. Collecting and sh**ting g!ns has been a life saver for me since retirement. I have always had a highly technical job and your videos are always pitched just right for learning. It is hard not to be paranoid but I hope that there will always be free thinking people that can form their own infrastructure to keep the lines of communication open.

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Sorry to hear this. My channel seems to have been hit for over 100 videos which, like yours, didn't actually violate the rule cited. Appeals were denied as fast as I could file them. I've migrated all of my videos to Playeur and won't be loading any more content videos onto You Tube.

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Replying to

Ouch! I know they also hit VSO, ARegularGuy, and a couple of others too

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The word I would use to describe this isn't something I should probably type. Let's just say I'm furious!

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Stephanie
Nov 23

What absolute rubbish by YouTube!


Rumble is fantastic and definitely supports its content creators.


Glad you have a channel there, just "followed."

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