Ever heard of GunTube?
I hadn't, until I read this crazy story by Lila Hassan, published on our site today. GunTube is what, as Lila writes, extremism researchers call "an ecosphere of gun influencers whose videos peddle a wide range of conservative content." Their argument goes like this: Guns can help good Christian Americans defend against the hellscape the USA has become, as evinced by—you guessed it—the liberal media, gun control efforts, and Black Lives Matter protests. As Lila writes:
While some of its most popular videos offer product reviews and shooting tips, they are accompanied by a wide range of political content, including interviews with conservative officials and activists. In weekly “T.Rex Talks,” Lucas and his brothers sit in a dimly lit studio to discuss America in decay, and how like-minded, God-oriented people can save it. They often reference the end times and urge their viewers to seize control before things get worse. “They’re selling products,” says Max Rizzuto, another Atlantic Council researcher, “and the product is ideology, too.”
As Lila's piece explains, this ideology also relies on patriarchy, among other things. So, in summary: Guns don't just kill tens of thousands of Americans each year, they're also the latest tool conservatives are using to recruit more people—and men especially—to their cause.
Don't miss Lila's story, as well as my colleagues' excellent coverage on guns in America.
—Julianne McShane
