YouTube has imposed stringent new policies regarding videos linked to firearms, profoundly affecting channels like the well-known Hickok45. With a subscriber base of 7.75 million, Hickok45 has been a cornerstone in the YouTube firearms community, offering content that spans reviews, safety tips, and educational discussions about firearms.
The channel’s hosts, known as Hickok45 and his son John, revealed troubling news about YouTube’s policy shifts in a recent video. “We just had a chat with our Google rep,” explained John, noting the dire implications of the changes. Since the policy update on June 18th, all videos featuring sponsorships from firearms companies or related accessories are not only prohibited but also place the entire channel at risk of termination. This marks a significant pivot from prior regulations, where only the videos themselves were at risk.
“Any videos posted with sponsorships of that kind post-June 18th will make your channel subject to being completely terminated,” John highlighted, stressing the severity of the situation. The channel, which has operated under these sponsorships for nearly its entire tenure, now faces the daunting prospect of losing nearly all its content, equating to 95% of its videos.
Reflecting on the long history of the channel, Hickok45 expressed dismay at the sudden shift in policy: “All these things that were perfectly fine for what, 15, 20 years, exactly all of a sudden are horrible.” The channel’s longstanding presence and compliance with previous YouTube guidelines underscore the abrupt and drastic nature of the policy change, which now threatens their entire body of work.
