Paul Harrell, the respected firearms expert, Second Amendment advocate and known as the “Father of the Internet's Guns,” died this week at age 58. After his death, he released a pre-recorded YouTube video announcing the end of his long battle with pancreatic cancer.
In the video, bluntly titled “I'm Dead,” Harrell sits on a fallen tree in a wooded area and delivers the sad news that his health is deteriorating and he fears the end is near.
“My main goal in doing all of this is to provide useful, or at least interesting, information,” Harrell said about his YouTube career in the video, which garnered more than 1.5 million views within 12 hours of being posted.
You can see crutches leaning against a tree to his left, which he says he uses because an illness has affected his bones and left him with a broken hip.
“I thought I could carry on like this for the next 10 to 15 years. When I was diagnosed I thought I'd have at least another two or three years, but I ended up only having a few months. I'm so sorry. I feel like I've let everyone down.”
He said he filmed the video on December 20 last year.
Over the course of 12 years, Harrell has grown his YouTube channel into a vast educational resource covering everything from product reviews to gun safety tips to even touching on cultural issues surrounding the Second Amendment.
Though he was highly knowledgeable and passionate, he was no culture warrior: rather, he was known for his humble, approachable style and was sometimes likened to a wise, kind father or uncle.
“A true lion of men, a paragon of integrity, the father of the internet's guns, and a role model for us all” – lawyer and YouTuber Tom Grieve Share with X After Harrell's death was announced.
“I'm really happy that we had the opportunity to do everything that we did, and I really hope it was helpful, and I really appreciate you all watching and commenting and participating,” he said, thanking his more than 1.1 million subscribers for their loyalty over the years.
“I have very few regrets about what we've done here. I think we've been successful for the most part, and I hope you'll agree. So, as always, this “Thank you to everyone watching from home,” he said in his closing remarks.
of video Finally, Har'rell's brother and video editor, Roy, added a brief note praising Har'rell's “generous and kind” nature and saying he plans to carry on Har'rell's legacy by continuing to post content on the channel.
