Twitch Bans Streamer For Accidentally Firing A Real Gun On Air

Twitch streamer Carl “SoaRCarl” Riemer’s channel is suspended after he fired a gun on stream. Video of the incident began circulating shortly after SoaRCarl’s Wednesday night stream, with the ban following soon after.

While Twitch acted quickly in response to SoaRCarl’s case, the streaming platform has a history of unevenly applying its own rules. In some cases, Twitch has banned streamers who haven’t broken any of the site’s rules, such as when it recently banned partnered streamer ShyBear for showing an in-progress nude portrait that didn’t actually depict any nudity on stream. At other times, certain streamers, especially those with large audiences, seem to get away with practically any violation of Twitch’s rules without much punishment, as was the case with Tfue recently using a racial slur on stream or Dr Disrespect broadcasting strangers using a bathroom at E3 2019.

In a widely shared clip, SoaRCarl appears to be intoxicated as he picks up a gun on his stream and jokes with viewers, before removing the gun’s magazine and then firing a shot. SoaRCarl recoils and seems to quickly realize the gravity of the situation, looking shocked and insisting that he didn’t realize that the gun was still loaded after he removed the magazine. SoaRCarl announced that he had been banned on Twitter the next morning. While Twitch hasn’t directly addressed the ban, it was presumably for violating a rule that bans “brandishing lethal or harmful weapons.”

In the short time since the incident occurred, SoaRCarl has been dropped by his former streaming group, SoaR. In the short but emotional video he posted early Thursday morning, SoaRCarl apologizes for his dangerous behavior, saying that he has no ill will against SoaR for removing him and seeming shaken at the possibility of a permanent ban from Twitch. He ends the video by acknowledging that he could have easily hurt someone in the incident and warning viewers not to play with guns.

While SoaRCarl’s apology and his shock on the initial stream seem completely genuine, neither remorse nor the accidental nature of the gun discharging excuse his behavior. Even though Twitch isn’t always transparent about its guidelines, has rules against brandishing firearms for a very good reason, and SoaRCarl’s recent actions demonstrate exactly that. As he now seems to realize, there is no good reason to treat a gun like a toy, and both the pressure to perform for an audience and the fact that he had been drinking only made the presence of a gun more of a danger.

Source: SoaRCarl/Twitter, Twitch