The seventh annual Gundie Awards were held on January 19, 2026, in Las Vegas just before the official start of the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. A play on the “Dundies” from The Office, the event serves as an opportunity for the gun industry and gun lobby to reward influencers — known as “guntubers” — who help market their products and push pro-gun agendas on social media while contributing to a toxic gun culture.
As in years past, the awards spotlighted creators who help expand the market for dangerous weapons and accessories while reinforcing narratives that frame commonsense gun safety measures as a threat to “freedom.”
Gundies sponsors
The 2026 Gundies were sponsored by several members of the gun industry, including gun makers Daniel Defense, Palmetto State Armory, Sig Sauer, and Taurus, as well as Gun Owners of America (GOA), a far-right gun group that opposes all gun laws.
A GOA promotional video was shown twice during the ceremony before GOA Senior Vice President Erich Pratt appeared on stage to thank the guntubers in attendance for aiding GOA’s messaging efforts: “As we walk the halls of Congress, it is so good to know that all of you here in this room, that y’all have our backs.”1The Gundie Awards, “The 7th Annual Gundie Awards – Presented by Palmetto State Armory,” Rumble, January 19, 2026, https://rumble.com/v7496g8-the-7th-annual-gundie-awards-presented-by-palmetto-state-armory.html, at 47:22. Pratt continued, “We know that we have you guys out here who are helping amplify our voice. We honestly couldn’t do all that we’re doing without your help.”2Ibid at 47:44.
Pratt spoke at length about GOA’s priorities in 2026, including dismantling the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 — a federal law that regulates machine guns, silencers, and other deadly weapons — and abolishing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Pratt asked the audience, “Who here likes the NFA?” which drew a small number of boos.3Ibid at 48:07. He also touted GOA’s role in helping eliminate the taxes required to make or purchase silencers and short-barreled firearms, which he described as “gutting the NFA for the first time in a hundred years.”4Ibid at 48:15.
Pratt outlined his GOA’s broader agenda, including a lawsuit challenging the NFA’s recordkeeping requirements “because…gun owners should not be treated like sex offenders.”5Ibid at 49:16. Pratt then brought up the Hughes Amendment, which banned civilians from owning machine guns manufactured after May 19, 1986, which he described as a “thorn in our side.” He claimed that GOA had “identified a legal pathway to reopen civilian ownership” of machine guns “without waiting for Congress to repeal the ban.”6Ibid at 49:40.
Pratt did not provide further details, but the maneuvering may involve the Trump administration, which effectively legalized forced-reset triggers (FRTs) that allow AR-15s and other semi-automatic firearms to fire like machine guns last year.
The National Rifle Association also sponsored the Gundies for the first time this year, despite its continuing internal turmoil. While presenting an award, NRA Executive Director of General Operations Josh Savani thanked guntubers for “promot[ing] and defend[ing] the Second Amendment,” and said that “the antis hate that they no longer control media platforms and with them, the message to the American people.”7Ibid at 2:06:11. The moment underscored how the organization, like GOA, is increasingly leaning on guntubers to push its pro-gun agenda.
Controversial Winners at the Gundies
Many of the Gundies winners were recognized for creating content that goes far beyond gun reviews, frequently veering into extremist symbolism, anti-government conspiracy theories, and the normalization of military-grade firepower for civilian use.
Aaron Visconti (aka “Administrative Results”), won the Gundie for “Most Entertaining Content Creator.” In recent years, Visconti has cosplayed as Nazis and Rhodesian soldiers — symbols among white supremacists — pretended to be an Israeli Defense Forces soldier torturing a journalist, and referenced the boogaloo movement to violently overthrow the government in videos and social media posts, all while glorifying military-style weapons and downplaying the risks associated with firearms. His username is itself a play on Executive Outcomes, a private military company founded by former members of apartheid-enforcing South African death squads.
Eric Blandford (aka “Iraqveteran8888”), who won “Best Gun Reviewer,” is a long-time gun influencer who promotes military-style weapons and tactical drills, and offers political commentary on gun laws. Blandford, who previously served as a GOA’s Georgia state director, has repeatedly warned of violent armed conflict with the federal government.
Another gun rights absolutist, Colion Noir, won “Most Influential Male.” A former NRA spokesperson, Noir is a gun reviewer and commentator who has mocked survivors of the Parkland shooting and regularly rails against commonsense gun safety solutions. In a recent video, he defended ICE agents’ use of deadly force in the killing of Renee Good, framing the shooting as justified self-defense rather than a question of enforcement tactics or protest policing. He also recently promoted FRTs, suggesting that civilians could use firearms equipped with them to fire “controlled, stupid-fast bursts” to repel home invasions. As Noir put it, the invaders’ chance of dying “just multiplied by five.”8Colion Noir, “This Trigger Is Legal — And That’s Why People Hate It,” YouTube, December 17, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdWAVrEDsUY at 3:00.
Finally, “Podcast of the Year” was awarded to the Unsubscribe Podcast. The podcast has several hosts, including Brandon Herrera (aka “The AK Guy”), who accepted the Gundie. Herrera has built a large following by producing content that idealizes military-style firearms, mocks gun violence, and elevates extremist symbolism and conspiracy theories. He has recreated real-world political assassinations for entertainment and most recently mocked the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a skit. He has also glorified Nazi weapons and symbols, promoted anti-government rhetoric, and advocated for dismantling federal gun laws and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Another host of the Unsubscribe Podcast, Cody Garrett (aka “Donut Operator”) has also cosplayed as a Nazi SS soldier in a YouTube video.
promoting child guntubers
One of the most troubling aspects of the Gundies’ winner and nominee lists is the continued elevation of children within the gun influencer space. Autumn Fry, a 13-year-old who tests and reviews guns for her YouTube channel, Autumn’s Armory, was named “Most Influential Female” at this year’s show and previously won a Gundie for “Breakout Creator of the Year.” Her first gun video was published on YouTube in 2020, when she was just seven years old. Since then she has tested numerous firearms — including fully automatic AR-15s and belt-fed machine guns — and expanded to Instagram, where her firearm content is interspersed between otherwise typical teenage content — like crocheting, reading young adult novels, and learning to drive — blurring the line between youth and gun culture, and normalizing firearms as a routine part of a young person’s life.
Two young sisters, ages eight and 18, who are part of the “The 2A Girls” Instagram account, were nominated for “Micro Influencer of the Year.” Their 12- and 16-year-old brothers, who have “The 2A Boys” Instagram account, were also nominated for last year’s “Breakout Creator of the Year” Gundie.
Another young guntuber, “Tactical Mia,” was nominated for “Most Influential Female” ahead of the 2024 Gundies when she was just nine years old.
gun makers working to undo gun laws
Jamin McCallum, the founder of Palmetto State Armory, an assault weapons manufacturer and retailer that has marketed products to political extremists and sponsored the Gundies, received the “Philanthropic Award.”9The Gundie Awards, “The 7th Annual Gundie Awards – Presented by Palmetto State Armory,” Rumble, January 19, 2026, https://rumble.com/v7496g8-the-7th-annual-gundie-awards-presented-by-palmetto-state-armory.html, at 1:56:50. The awards presenters noted that McCallum’s company had donated “nearly $1 million to organizations like the NRA and GOA, directly supporting the fight to preserve our freedoms” and “backing legal challenges” to the ATF’s ghost gun rule and the NFA.10Ibid at 1:57:30. The presenters also credited McCallum for “pushing back” against the 1986 machine gun ban,11Ibid at 1:58:06. underscoring how Palmetto State Armory has positioned itself at the forefront of efforts to dismantle longstanding firearm regulations.
While McCallum insisted that “it’s not about me, it’s about the American people and their desire to be free,”12Ibid at 1:59:40. the award highlights how a major gun manufacturer that profits from the sale of military-style firearms is celebrated not for charitable giving, but for funding legal challenges aimed at weakening the very laws designed to regulate the most dangerous weapons on the civilian market.
Sons of Liberty Gun Works, another assault weapons manufacturer, won the Gundie for “Most Innovative Brand.” When the company’s founder accepted the award, he discussed his advocacy efforts: “A little over 11 years ago, I got a knock on my door from the ATF because I was building guns in my garage, [but] I thought this was America. Fast-forward a little bit, we’ve contributed to raising a ton of money for the cause, helping get some state laws rewritten, prevailed in lawsuits against anti-Second-Amendment organizations, and we’ve armed a few hundred thousand Americans. Maybe they should have let me keep tinkering in the garage.”13Ibid at 1:22:37.