who is paul harrell, caleb giddings, youtube, guns, reddit, age, cancer

Updated on: September 9, 2024

Paul Harrell was a legend in the firearms world, with his enthusiastic and informative videos on YouTube. A gun rights advocate and safety expert, Harrell’s matter-of-fact candor has found a strikingly wide audience. With his YouTube channel from 2012, he was a “gun dad of the internet,” garnering over 1.13 million subscribers.

Profile Summary

Full Name	Paul Harrell
Date of Birth	1966
Age at Death	58
Date of Death	September 3, 2024
Cause of Death	Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer
Military Service	U.S. Army and Marine Corps
YouTube Channel Start Date	April 2012
Subscribers	Over 1.13 million
Total Videos	445
Notable Video	“I’m Dead” (posthumous announcement)
Legacy	Firearms education and advocacy

Life and Service in the Military of Future Producers

Originally from Oregon, Harrell lived a life of duty that started in the U.S. Army and later transplanted him into the Marine Corps as well. Going from his military background and then becoming very successful firearms teacher, Harrell shared valuable and accessible advice on gun safety, reviews of products, and instructional videos in a successful series with useful tips all presented like many have come to expect — from his YouTube channel.

Health Diagnosis & Struggles

In July of 2023, Harrell went public with his stage 2 pancreatic cancer diagnosis. The diagnosis was grim, but he said at the time there might still be years of work ahead for him. His health worsened quickly; the cancer spread to his bones. In December 2023, Harrell recorded a video with the heartfelt title “I’m Dead,” where he described his life in an entirely frank manner and thanked many viewers. The video was posthumously released following his death aged 58 on September 3, 2024.

Last Message, Goodbye Video

Harrell bid farewell to his audience with people who had watched him for years, whom he expressed gratitude towards and apologized for not being able to make videos anymore. He also spoke to some of his potential critics tarnishing on him, and simply asked to be remembered as he was. For Harrell, his video was a heartfelt goodbye at most to conclude he had done nothing wrong in line with the aforementioned educational purpose.

Effect on the later generations and legacy

The news of Harrell’s death elicited an outpouring of tributes from fans and other creators. As such, he was well respected by all levels of the firearms community and his down to earth nature combined with a comprehensive means of teaching solidified him in many hearts. His brother Roy Harrell has since been managing Paul’s YouTube channel, ensuring that his legacy and educational content is still available for generations to come.

Beef with Caleb Giddings

While on YouTube, Harrell was not without controversy. Publicly, firearms designer Caleb Giddings criticized Harrell’s content as being short on facts and even shorter when it came to class in March 2020. In a video, Harrell responded to these accusations, defending his work and accusing Giddings for misrepresentation. Giddings took down his videos criticizing Harrell, but Harrell’s response was still up on his channel.

Harrell also appeared to refer the old feuds in his last video, with him saying he would be “concerned” that some people might want to use his death as an opportunity for them paint a negative image of him. He also told his followers to ‘be wise enough not listen and believe all the negative propaganda that any other party may produce once he has passed away.

A Lasting Impact

Paul Harrell was a giant in the greater firearms instructional universe. In particular he removed the veil of mystery from firearms for a very large audience and at once preaching gun safety, responsibility and knowledge. And many of his videos are still helpful for those in the gun community or considering firearms.

Now under the eyes of brother Roy, Paul Harrell will continue to teach us lessons and old knowledge that many have simply forgotten is out there. The life work of Harrell epitomises his dedication to education, as well as truth and the promotion of a more responsible gun community.