After Vegas shooting, YouTube bans videos that show how to modify guns

PanARMENIAN.Net - In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in US history, YouTube is prohibiting videos that show how to install devices to make weapons fire faster, CNet reveals.

Videos that show how to use a "bump stock" device -- an addition which enables guns to fire more quickly -- have been banned from the site. The company updated its community guidelines to reflect the policy change, The Telegraph reported earlier.

"We have long had a policy against harmful and dangerous content," a YouTube spokesperson said. "In the wake of the recent tragedy in Las Vegas, we took a closer look at videos that demonstrate how to convert firearms to make them fire more quickly and we expanded our existing policy to prohibit these videos."

Gunman Stephen Paddock used a bump stock in the Oct. 1 shooting in Las Vegas, which left at least 59 dead and more than 500 people injured.

Social media outlets have struggled to find a balance between giving users the freedom to post content and restricting potentially harmful material. Last week, YouTube tweaked its search engine to promote videos from more mainstream news outlets, following allegations that the site promoted conspiracy theories after the Las Vegas shooting. Parent company Google also faced backlash after the shooting for reportedly spreading misinformation in its "Top News" section.