Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg blamed YouTube for "ghost guns" a while back. I, naturally, pointed out he was wrong to do so, that YouTube had done nothing wrong. The letter came after Media Matters basically pushed the same nonsense--that's why I'm not crying for their current batch of troubles.

Unfortunately, YouTube listened to Bragg and not yours truly.

Such a pity.

Anyway, they decided to age-restrict some firearm-related content on YouTube. Not all, mind you, which we'll get into in a bit, but most.

And Gun Owners of America isn't happy about it. From a press release:

 Gun Owners of America (GOA) issued the following statements after YouTube announced a formal change in their policies towards firearms related content:

“Restricting access to adults only—for content that depicts wholly legal and constitutionally-protected activity—is wrong, and it aims to push a sinister narrative to minors that firearms are evil,” said Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior Vice President. “In turn, as younger generations come of age, they will not question or push back on further violations of our Second Amendment rights.”

“Alvin Bragg and his anti-gun friends have been aggressively pressuring YouTube to censor and directly prohibit certain content related to guns for years now, and sadly they just succeeded and free speech has once again become the victim,” said Aidan Johnston, GOA’s Director of Federal Affairs. “Congress must demand answers from YouTube on how influential DA Bragg and gun control groups were in facilitating this change in policy and determine whether the Biden Administration or it’s White House Office of Gun Control was weaponized to force the censorship of Second Amendment content.”

Background: This week, YouTube and parent company Google announced plans to change their policy on firearms related content – effective June 18th. Under the new policy, which will be retroactive and apply to all existing content on the platform, the following will apply:

• Content showing the use of homemade firearms, automatic firearms, and certain firearm accessories will be age restricted.
• Content showing how to remove “safety devices” will be banned.
• Firearms in movies, video games, military and police footage, and warzone footage will not categorically be age restricted—creating a double standard for Hollywood and anti-gun corporate media.

Now, note that last exception. The entertainment industry gets a pass but channels with proper firearm handling and a deep appreciation for how deadly a gun can be doesn't.

What's more, channels pushing gun control will also avoid restrictions, undoubtedly.

But here's the thing that irks me the most.

There are a ton of channels on YouTube about things like alcohol. I know, I've watched a ton and shot a few videos on the topic myself, something I need to get back to doing. Regardless, channels based on alcohol aren't age-restricted.

Now, let's ponder on this for a sec: A 14-year-old can lawfully build a firearm with parental permission; can lawfully use a firearm for various purposes such as hunting, competition, or just a fun day at the range; and cannot consume alcohol lawfully anywhere in the United States.

So why is it that someone who isn't old enough to drive can study the nuances of bourbon but can't watch content on how to get a faster reload for their 3-gun competition?

Especially when alcohol contributes to a large number of child fatalities, including things like underage people driving while intoxicated.

The truth is that YouTube doesn't give a damn about child safety. They're just worried about anti-gun lawmakers making them look bad. They caved to Bragg's demands, probably because they figured the media would eviscerate them, repeating Media Matters' nonsense as if it actually had any merit, and for no other reason.

Meanwhile, if they'll cave that quickly, how long until they run enough other content creators over to Rumble, which isn't likely to play nice with Bragg?

Not soon enough.