There is this interesting dynamic in my household where I tend to putter around on my computer, surfing the net (a phrase which clearly dates my age >.>) while my husband peruses through YouTube videos for random titles that tickle his fancy. Sometimes he happens upon a jackpot and we find a YouTube channel that we both begin watching avidly (see: The Great War entry) while sometimes he finds channels that he just loves while I officially dub them the "white noise videos" because they hold little to no interest to me.
That's how Paul Harrell's videos started for me. Mr. Harrell has a YouTube channel where he discusses firearms, really he covers much more than just that but primarily that's his topic of choice. Now hubster loves this guy and watches him regularly given he's been trying to learn more about firearms and ... all that "stuff". This is about the part I usually zone out and the videos become white noise, this isn't a topic I usually find interesting in the least. And then hubster watched one of Mr. Harrell's videos and I was rather captivated by the entire thing and I became more interested in the man, well, in front of the camera.
Honestly, I'd never heard of Mr. Harrell before his video on the Miami-Dade FBI shoot-out of 1986 caught my attention when the hubster began watching it. That video, to me, elevated Mr. Harrell's channel from just being 'about guns' to being about the entire process of shooting. His analysis was thorough, detailed, and thought-provoking and his visuals were clear in a manner that helped the viewer to have a better grasp of the situation which the agents involved in this 1986 incident were faced with. Here's the video itself:
Now this video is the one that drew my attention to Mr. Harrell directly and had me look a bit more into who he is that he puts out these videos and for what purpose. Mr. Harrell has his own tagline for his channel that really sums up the purpose rather nicely: "Real firearms information for citizens." Pretty straight forward right? While I originally thought that the topics he covered were comparisons of weapons and bullets I came to realize, through a deeper look, that they are about all things related to firearms. This includes body armor, magazine lengths, bullet types, situations wherein which gun might be better suited than another, how X gun handles better than Y gun and then there are the gems like the Miami-Dade shoot-out analysis wherein he's able to put his considerable knowledge to bare in breaking down a documented police situation and explaining it clearly for the average citizen.
What's even more amazing about Mr. Harrell, aside from his skilled ability to explain information about a complex topic (believe me, firearms can be very complicated) in an easy to understand manner, are his qualifications. But don't just have listen to me, here's him addressing the question of what authority he has to speak about the topics he covers in his videos:
Mr. Harrell posts up new videos every week and the content of those videos is always somewhat different. As stated before sometimes it's an aspect of a comparison of two guns, sometimes it's a method of conceal and carry, or his best choice for a specific kind of hunting, etc, but whatever topic that his videos cover it always pertains to the world of firearms in some way. One aspect that I particularly appreciated and found endearing and also alluring to continue watching was Mr. Harrell's somewhat unassuming nature. He explains things clearly and without arrogance, he doesn't attempt to tout himself about as some great expert, he isn't showy or self-aggrandizing. The direct nature of his approach really helps to engage the audience watching his videos and keeps the focus on the education that he's imparting to those interested in learning.
While I at first hadn't taken much notice of Mr. Harrell's videos, after that one video of the analysis of the Miami-Dade police shooting my interest had been piqued. Reviewing the video a few times, I've realized that it was in large part his quiet certainty with which he reviewed the situation that contributed to my growing interest. Admittedly, I also enjoy his occasional dry humor as well. It's rarely easy to include humor with a serious subject such as firearms education yet he does it rather well and in such a way it helps keep my attention on the lesson he's imparting in each video.
I think his channel is only going to grow even more as he continues, especially given that he responds reasonably promptly to his discussion section on his channel. It's always nice being able to ask a question and actually getting a response! Whether you're already interested in firearms or just getting your feet wet in the wide world of firearms, I would recommend Mr. Harrell's channel no matter your experience and knowledge level. His appeal is wide-spread and you don't have to be all that knowledgeable to begin with to benefit from his videos, nor would already being very learned on the topic of firearms preclude you from enjoying the information that is shared. So really, whether you're a "newb" or an "old hand" in regards to firearms - it's still likely you'll find something to enjoy on Mr. Harrell's channel, so check it out!
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