InRangeTV's Karl Kasarda joins the podcast to discuss his view of the Second Amendment and the backlash his advocacy has generates from other sections of the gun owning community. He argues gun rights belong to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Not everyone agrees with that list.

Kasarda said those pushing for a more limited view of who the Second Amendment protects are doing a disservice to the gun-rights cause. Some, he said, are downright hateful and harassing. But he argued even those that aren't are shrinking the number of people who could be on their side.

He also gives some insight into what it's like to run a popular gun channel on YouTube and why he's proactively demonitized his videos to minimize how much power the platform has over his ability to make videos. Thi week, we've got one of the most prominent and longest-running Gun tubers on the show. 

InRangeTV's Karl Kasarda joins the podcast to discuss his view of the Second Amendment and the backlash his advocacy has generates from other sections of the gun owning community. He argues gun rights belong to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Not everyone agrees with that list.

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It's not the first time we've discussed this. It probably won't be the last, either. But this time the platform is deleting videos and, potentially, whole channels focused on gun content after a new policy update that's only partially written out.

I talked with YouTube spokespeople about the changes and got more details this week. But things are still a bit vague. Purposefully so. That's why we've got Jon Patton of The Gun Collective on the show to share what he's been told and to discuss how serious the impact of the changes could be.

Patton argued the fallout of the new policy against directing viewers to lawful gun or ammo dealers could be huge. He said it makes it harder for gun channels to survive on the platform and for gun companies to advertise their products. He also worried about the often chaotic nature of YouTube enforcement and how it has the potential to lead to instant bans for people who rely on the platform to make a living--without warning or explanation.

Special Guest: Jon Patton.

That's why we've got the head of one of the largest gun channels on the platform. John Correia runs Active Self Protection, which has generated over 1.8 billion views on videos analyzing real-world self-defense encounters. He's also spent nearly a decade dealing with YouTube's varied and often vague moderation guidelines.

The new rules primarily target creates who build their own firearms or use automatic fire in video. But they also affect anyone who uses "high capacity" magazines in their videos, without explaining what meets that standard.

Correia said he's not sure how much of an impact the new rules will have on his channel, which already sees its content age-gated on a regular basis. But he argued they would probably have a significant effect on some of the largest gun channels on the platform. He also argued YouTube has a right to police its website as it pleases, but the company bowing to pressure from gun-control groups and politicians made the move more concerning.

He explains how Active Self Protection deals with the constant problem of social media moderation, given its incredible impact on the business. Correia said the company has spent more time and effort building out its own operations to supplement the revenue it brings in from YouTube. He argued that was the only practical way forward for many creators who focus on topics social media companies tend to be squeamish about.

Special Guest: John Correia.

The social media giant began deleting videos and even whole channels that featured silencers, often called suppressors, from their site a few weeks back. Then, after public outcry and an inquiry from The Reload, the company reversed course. But the damage to trust many gun creators had in the platform was already done by then.

Ian McCollum, who had one of his suppressor videos from Forgotten Weapons deleted, joins the podcast to talk about the ordeal. He explains how this is not the first time YouTube has targeted gun channels with unclear policies. In fact, he said he's been dealing with these problems nearly the entire time he's been on the platform.

That's why he's attempted to diversify where his content is hosted over the years. He's also taken to using alternative means for growing a sustainable income outside of YouTube in order to mitigate against the video company's impact on his ability to make the content he and his audience love. At the same time, he said he remains on YouTube because it's by far the largest platform out there and it's important to go where the audience is.

He also shares some insight into what he has planned for the future of Forgotten Weapons. Both the long-term vision for the company and some hints at upcoming videos.

Plus, Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about how the NRA managed to lose over a million members in just 4 years.

Special Guest: Ian McCollum.