The move, which was announced in a YouTube Help Forum, will also prohibit videos providing instructions on how to build firearms and silencers and how to convert standard weapons into automatic or simulated automatic forms.
The new restrictions will take effect April 19.
"We're updating our policies around content featuring firearms as part of our regular changes we make to our policies on an ongoing basis," the announcement read. "If your channel has firearms-related content, we recommend reviewing the new policies in detail and making any updates before then."
The change, to no surprise, isn't exactly sitting well with gun-lovers. The National Shooting Sports Foundation called the move "worrisome."
"We suspect it will be interpreted to block much more content than the stated goal of firearms and certain accessory sales," the foundation told the Baltimore Sun in an article published Thursday. "We see the real potential for the blocking of educational content that serves instructional, skill-building and even safety purposes."
"Much like Facebook, YouTube now acts as a virtual public square. The exercise of what amounts to censorship, then, can legitimately be viewed as the stifling of commercial free speech," it added.
In response to the news, InRangeTV, a popular YouTube page promoting gun content, made a drastic leap — all the way to PornHub.
"YouTube's newly released vague and one-sided firearms policy makes it abundantly clear that YouTube cannot be counted upon to be a safe harbor for a wide variety of views and subject matter," a Tuesday statement posted on the group's Facebook page reads. "For this reason, InRangeTV is pleased to announce its expansion onto the PornHub network. PornHub has a history of being a proactive voice in the online community, as well as operating a resilient and robust video streaming platform."
YouTube's announcement comes just days before the March For Our Lives rally, which was organized by the survivors of the Valentine's Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The rally is to take place March 24.
