'FROM GAMES TO GUNS': Manhattan DA calls on YouTube to act against ghost gun videos

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and law enforcement officials on Wednesday called on YouTube to end its algorithm making ghost gun videos accessible to children.

Officials said that kids, some as young as 15, are being arrested for building ghost guns and that the YouTube algorithm is helping them learn the skills.

According to Bragg, online interest in games like “Call of Duty” is enough to suck a viewer down a YouTube pipeline that would lead them to ghost gun content.

“All you need is a computer, and a mouse and an interest in gaming, and you can go from games to guns in 15 minutes,” Bragg said.

“How an AR-15 Works,” “How a Pump Shotgun Works” and “3D Glock Animation – How to disassemble and reassemble the G2” are just some of the video titles the district attorney’s office pulled up as evidence of the YouTube content.

Ghost guns are becoming a growing problem in NYC: The NYPD has seized 57 ghost guns so far this year, which is 15 more than all of last year, authorities said. And while some of these homemade weapons may look like toys, law enforcement officials emphasized that they are just as dangerous on the streets as traditional guns.

“They’re made in different designs, they’re made in different colors, but the one thing everybody has to remember is once these guns are completed, they shoot bullets like any other firearm,” NYPD Inspector Courtney Nilan said.

When reached by 1010 WINS/WCBS 880, a YouTube spokesperson stated that company policy does not allow content on the website that instructs viewers on how to make homemade firearms, or gun accessories like bump stocks, drop-in auto sears or conversion kits.

“Our policies strictly prohibit content instructing viewers how to make ghost guns or 3D printed guns, and we’ll carefully review any videos the Manhattan DA’s office shares with us,” the spokesperson said. “We recognize our work in this area is never done and we remain committed to removing any content that violates our policies.”

YouTube will also remove content with links that redirect viewers to off-platform websites that violate its firearms policy, the spokesperson said.

In the last quarter of 2023, YouTube removed more than 3.5 million videos that violated its policies regarding harmful and dangerous content, including its firearms policy.

Regardless of these removals, NYC officials were clear that the rabbit hole to this content exists, and needs to be sealed.

“Potentially half of the defendants that come in to be interviewed mentioned to us that they became exposed to, or learned how to build ghost guns, through YouTube,” Assistant District Attorney Bonnie Seok said.

Law enforcement is concerned that the proliferation of ghost gun content is leading kids down criminal paths.

“He has a 3D printer at home, which most kids have. He constructs a 3D-printed firearm. Once it is constructed, it is illegal to own. That’s criminal possession of a firearm there,” NYPD Inspector Courtney Nilan said.

The call to action against YouTube happened hours after Bragg announced a funding opportunity for Manhattan community organizations that are based in neighborhoods affected by gun violence.

The district attorney’s office will award $20,000 to up to seven organizations that will pay at-risk New Yorkers aged 14 to 26 summer stipends to participate in gun violence prevention programming.

For more information about the Gun Violence Prevention Initiative, visit the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative website here .