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Note to FPSRussia’s many young fans: TTAG is not a link whore. We’re not jealous of your main man’s staggering traffic. We really, honestly, truly believe that the Georgian (as in the state next to Alabama) is an irresponsible gun owner. Let’s set aside the image above scraped from Kyle’s Facebook page for a moment. As an inspiration to millions of testosterone-crazed YouTubers, the self-described “entertainer” has an obligation to WEAR EYES AND EARS . . .

In the video above, Kyle’s latest ballistic opus, the Internet idol dons eyes and ear for the LAW rocket and M20. Why not in the clip before? I reckon it’s ’cause FPSRussia only wears protection when he’s scared.

To be clear: gun safety—which includes your sight and hearing—is not situational dependent. It’s gun dependent. If there’s a gun, you need to be safe. How far away is that second, more explosive target anyway?

OK, so, gun safety rule number somethingorother (but definitely top five): always know your target and what’s beyond it. This you cannot do when you’re sitting on your gun facing the opposite direction.

At the risk of inviting more FPS fanboy abuse, what a putz.  The man is firing live rounds. LARGE live rounds. Until and unless I see a satellite map of this shooting range—extending five miles in all directions—I have to think that bouncing rounds off water and firing blindly is a bad, bad thing. And probably even then.

Click here for a look at how carefully the owner of the M20 shoots the weapon. And then ask yourself a question: why would he let FPSRussia shoot his M20 whilst sitting on it backwards? Money? Fame? Ignorance?

Truth be told, FPSRussia is already going deaf. His claim that he can magically “close his ears” and his supporters’ assertion that shooters don’t need ear protection outdoors are incredible. FPSRussia is already partially deaf and a single firearm report outdoors can damage unprotected ears. Permanently.

More generally, FPSRussia is an accident waiting to happen. Anyone who lets this man use their gun for fun and profit is running the very real risk of enabling tragedy.  Don’t do it.

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47 COMMENTS

  1. My guess is that the owner of that m20 did everything for FPS when he set up the rifle and just let him pull the trigger.

    Also I guess I’m a big sissy mary because I usually put my hearing protection on in the car when I go to an outdoor range and only remove it during cease fires and when I get back in the car.

  2. “Magical Ear Close” = lack of sound after the first shot due to desperately stunned stereocilia.

    Each ‘ping’ heard inside the head is a loss of tone. And they can’t repair themselves. Ever.

  3. I’m not buying the “one shot without hearing protection causes permanent damage” I shot a lot as a kid, including quite a bit of trap shooting with my dad without any hearing protection, and now in my 40’s, still have perfect hearing.

    • As a kid, I got my hands on a firecracker. In Michigan, such things were Highly Illegal, so obviously I was greatly curious and even a bit in awe of the thing I held in my hands. One day I took it out to our shed – a metal, 6×6 shed that my father had bought a few years earlier, just barely tall enough for me to stand in with my head canted over on my shoulder. I put the firecracker on a barrel, and lit a match. I waved that flame back and forth under the fuse, never expecting it to do anything. Then it caught!! Now, I had the doors closed, and was in shock that the fuse was burning. I didn’t have long to wait… maybe 2 or 3 seconds. *** B A N G *** That was the last I heard for over an hour. I was terrified and crying. To this day, I suffer tinnitus of varying intensity. Loud noises can make it worse. My frequency response has been tested and parts are *GONE*, and will never come back.

        • How is it a lot different? Loud bangs are loud bangs. Especially when compared to firing in an indoor range.

        • Of course it’s different in a confined space like a 6×6 metal shed than a huge indoor firing range because sound waves bounce off of surrounding objects.
          If you think that the loud bang of a fire cracker is the same whether you’re in a small shed or outside then you’re fcking stupid

  4. Dave- no you don’t. I honestly doubt that you have a mutation that gives you adamantium cilia in your ears. You probably just gradually lost your hearing and didn’t notice.

    Go to an audiologist and have your frequency response checked and then come back here and tell us your hearing is perfect.

    It sounds rude but as an audio engineer / sound designer guy I am fiercely overprotective of mine (and everyone else’s) hearing and anyone who implies that loud music or firearms are “just fine” and you don’t need ear protection set me off. If you went around saying that you don’t need ear protection for outdoor shooting, that’s plain irresponsible/reckless.

    Hearing is one of your five senses. You can NOT get it back once it’s gone. People would balk at you if you regularly tried to blind yourself and said that you don’t need eye protection when you shoot needles and sparks into your pupils, but when it comes to people losing their hearing it’s socially acceptable.

  5. guys, regardless of how much fodder he gives you, if you really, truly, hate the crap he does, then stop giving him the hits he so richly desires.

    seriously, you’re perpetuating it yourself. i assume you guys have a symbiotic relationship now, and you both benefit.

  6. You know, when I watch a FPS Russia/Kyle video, I’m not really thinking, “Gee, if only this guy were wearing proper eye and ear protection. Then this would be a totally worthwhile viewing experience.” Nope, that is not what I’m thinking at all.

  7. Is anyone else upset about the ruined weapons? It’s not as bad as deactivation, sure, but they’ve still been mutilated.
    The LAW, not so much–it’s a mass-produced tube with sights–but that beautiful recoilless rifle should have been left alone. If you collect that sort of hardware you’re sure to have a buddy who’s licensed to make 75mm rounds for “testing purposes”, right?

    • Would the testing purposes thing get you out of registering every shell as a destructive device?

      Also it might be a question of overall cost, even at $4 a shot .50 bmg is much more reasonable than say the $10 a shot for a 20mm. I assume that even rolling your own 75mm shells would very rapidly become incredibly expensive. If I was going to buy a big expensive toy like a recoil-less rifle I would definitely want to make sure I got to play with it as much as possible.

  8. “It’s the same bone-headed thinking that many concealed carry license holders use when deciding whether or not to carry. I’ll carry downtown but not when I take the dog for a walk at mid-day.”

    Way to insult part of your readership.

  9. Probably with a username like mine, you’d think I’d be on this idiot’s side.

    He can go take a dump somewhere. There are other youtube stars more worthy of my limited bandwidth. He ignores every rule of firearms safety I learned as a kid, drilled into my head first my my dad, then the range masters in scout camp, then my sergeant and cadet commanders in AROTC, and then the range masters in the indoor NRA Range.

    I admit his videos are interesting, but I’ve been drilled with enough common sense that I really can’t help but cringe as he does stupid shit.

      • Random Thought:
        There’s something wrong where Japanese anime characters and related fan arts of the character themselves having better trigger discipline than some idiot who has the money and connections to get the ability to shoot interesting stuff.

  10. I just wanted to say that Im very sorry to the editor of *********.com, it must suck that nobody will pay you to talk about guns anymore because Im better at it than you, and I do it for free. That must be why you’ve dedicated your site to telling lies about how you dont like my videos because I set a bad example when in fact its because I do what you do, but I make it look good. Fuck off, loser.

  11. This paragraph…

    “OK, so, gun safety rule number somethingorother (but definitely top five): always know your target and what’s beyond it. This you cannot do when you’re sitting on your gun facing the opposite direction.”

    …becomes really hilarious when you check this site’s “about” page and see a picture of the senior editor holding a rifle backwards on his shoulder while grinning into the camera.

    Real professional, there.

  12. So if I draw a gun in self-defense I need to make sure I’ve got my eyes and ears on?

    I think you should stop calling to limit someones freedom for the sake of political correctness, he’s on private property, let him do what he wants.

    Don’t be a fascist.

  13. I’m kind of curious about FPSRussia. I’m kind of surprised how he doesn’t often wear hearing and eye protection. Pretty darn stupid in my opinion.

    Also how is it that civilians can own some of those firearms such as 50 cal machine guns, miniguns and so forth? What kind of permit do you need to make it legal?

    Also is the guy completely fake? Is he just putting on a fake accent?

  14. It is my belief that Mr. “FPSRussia” should have his firearm licensing revoked. He sells t-shirts with communist hammer-and-sickles, and brands the commie symbols all over his pages. If you were to ask me, I’d say that these are obvious signs that he is actively promoting communism to young audiences. Would you give a class 3 license to a communist?
    Furthermore, FPSRussia wears/sells “Irresponsible gun-owner” shirts, and acts it, like Mr. Farango mentioned in the article. Instead of trying to get rid of gun rights, Congress should get rid of FPSRussia.

    • your a moron he is a American that is proud of his Russian heritage and you are a moron if you think that young man is trying to convert people to communism he is in America for a reason jackass.

  15. Correction: Mr. *Farago, not Farango.
    I’d also like to add that there is absolutely no relevancy of Russia in FPSRussia’s videos- they mostly have Western firearms. It’s a shame that all the videos are being used to promote Russia (where you can’t have firearms) & Communism, and people buy the “coolness” of Russia. Now, if it was called “FPSAmerica”, then I’d be so very happy that the freedoms of the 2nd amendment would be proudly displayed as the #15 channel.
    But unfortunately, FPSRussia just thinks he owes his freedom to own firearms and his high income to the Russian Federation, God bless him.

  16. Wow pull the stick out of your ass. This kind of stuff happens all the time so yes you are hating on him because he is famous. Just because he doesn’t always wear ear protection does not make him irresponsible. He may shoot behind his back but you know damn well the range is clear and plenty big enough. He is not going to shoot a cannon towards a house. If you want to pick on someone try going for the manny alcoholics operating guns under the influence every day. The fact is these stunts are planed and perfectly safe. Also maybe we should take away guns from our army sense they are more irresponsible than fpsrussia. So I say again pull the stick out yo ass. And as always…… Have nice day

  17. seriously? he’s not Russian, he’s an american gamer from GA and he’s in character. it’s funny, chill the fck out. p.s. socialists are allowed to own weapons in America, refer to constitution for further details

  18. Where it says something in the article about bullets bouncing around everywhere, his family owns a very large property out there. So I don’t imagine those bullets are even making it off his property.

  19. I hate his cringe worthy fake accent. Also hate his legions of ignorant fan boys who probably never shot a gun in their lives. Can’t believe anybody would be impressed with this guy, but I guess when you’re young and dumb you are easily impressed.

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