What Is the Trump Shooter & Demolition Ranch YouTube Shirt Controversy?

Through no fault of its own, a large gun YouTube channel has had some controversy thrown its way recently. Thomas Matthew Crooks, the terrorist killed during the Trump shooting incident, died wearing a “Demolitia” shirt which promoted Demolition Ranch, one of the largest firearms-centric channels (known among fans as “guntubers”) on the platform. Unfortunately, Demolition Ranch owner Matt Carriker has been put into a situation where some believe he has some culpability for Crooks’s actions.

Why is Demolition Ranch part of the Trump shooter controversy?

When Thomas Matthew Crooks was killed, he was wearing a t-shirt with the word “Demolitia” on it, according to Newsweek. This is what the fanbase for the YouTube channel Demolition Ranch calls itself. The shirt looks like similar official merchandise that can be bought on the Bunker Branding Co. website alongside other Demolition Ranch-branded items.

Some social media pundits have attempted to link Crooks’s actions with Demolition Ranch’s pro-gun message. Of course, that makes about as much sense as blaming Jodie Foster for John Hinckley Jr. shooting Ronald Reagan. No link between Carriker and Crooks other than the shirt has been established. It also has yet to be confirmed whether Crooks bought the shirt from Bunker Branding, was gifted the shirt, purchased it through a third party, or even regularly watched the channel.

As of writing Carriker has kept his commentary about the situation limited. In one tweet he stated that news stations had called asking him if he ever spoke with the shooter.

In a second tweet he confirmed that he’ll be making a public statement soon on the Demolition Ranch YouTube channel.

So far authorities haven’t released any manifesto from Crooks explaining why he decided to attempt to assassinate Trump, much less how big of a fan he is of Demolition Ranch. However, the situation continues to evolve and we’ll update the article with any new developments.